January 29th at 3pm PST
Abstract: Oak woodlands and riparian forests are among the rarest California ecosystems. They support considerable biodiversity and provide many additional benefits which can be enhanced through frequent fire. Indigenous peoples recognize these outcomes, and their stewardship practices illustrate opportunities to achieve ecosystem resilience as illustrated through applied fire studies in these systems.
Bio: Don Hankins is Professor of environmental geography at CSU Chico and Field Director for the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve. His areas of expertise include pyrogeography, conservation, and Indigenous land and water stewardship. His research includes wildland fire with an emphasis on applied landscape scale cultural and prescribed fires, and their implications to biodiversity conservation and environmental change. Don engages in various aspects of land stewardship, policy, and conservation with a variety of organizations and agencies including Indigenous entities in North America and Australia.
