SAFE Connections: Webinar series for Students and early career professionals
The goal of this webinar series, hosted by the National SAFE Officers, is to provide a space for student and early career professionals to learn from and be inspired by a diversity of leaders in wildfire ecology and management, including academic, management, international, and NGOs.
Upcoming Webinars
Indigenous Cultural Fire: Implications for Research, Policy, and Data Sovereignty in California and Beyond
April 15 2025 at 2pm pDT: Dr. Melinda Adams, University of Kansas
Join our SAFE Officers and Dr. Melinda Adams for this discussion! This talk will synthesize the research opportunities and barriers as well as policy-to-practice execution of cultural fire, concentrating first on California, then offering examples throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world. With particular attention to data sovereignty, discussion will elucidate the significance of working with Tribes and state/federal agencies while offering decolonial frameworks towards addressing the wildfire crisis.
For more information on these subjects, Dr. Adams recommends the following papers:
The Good Fire: The Return of Indigenous Fire Stewardship chapter in Status of Tribes and Climate Change V2 highlights cultural fire initiatives in S. Cal, N. Cal and the Great Lakes region.
Indigenous Fire Data Sovereignty is a data sovereignty framework that seeks to protect Indigenous fire knowledge, linking to cultural fire reclamation in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
Solastalgia addresses environmental/climate grief and how Indigenous cultural fire may be a salve to address disaster eco-anxiety.
Past webinars
March 18, 2025: Dr. Stephen Fillmore, USFS
For SAFE Connections March, our National SAFE Officers are joined by Dr. Stephen Fillmore for Merging Management and Research: My Path with the USFS. Reach out to Dr. Fillmore at stephen.fillmore@usda.gov with any questions, or to have a conversation about this presentation.
February 18, 2025: Dr. Eric Knapp, USDA Forest Service
To kick off SAFE Connections 2025, our National SAFE Officers are joined by Dr. Eric Knapp to discuss his career as a Forest Service research scientist. Reach out to Dr. Knapp at eric.e.knapp@usda.gov with any questions, or to have a conversation about this presentation.
November 12, 2024: Dr. Mary Lata, Tonto National Forest
The third installment of our 2024 monthly speaker series, our National SAFE officers are joined by Dr. Mary Lata to discuss her career and current position as a Fire Ecologist at Tonto National Forest in Arizona.
October 22, 2024: Dr. tom swetman, university of arizona and dr. jose (pepe) iniguez, rocky mountain research station
Dr. Tom Swetnam and Dr. Jose (Pepe) Iniguez share about their careers and tree-ring fire science and programs at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona and the USFS, Rocky Mountain Research Station. Our National SAFE officers host this second installment of our 2024 monthly speaker series. Reach out to Dr. Swetnam at swetnamt@arizona.edu and Dr. Iniguez jose.m.iniguez@usda.gov with any questions, or to have a conversation about this presentation.
September 17, 2024: Dr. Morgan Varner, Tall Timbers
Dr. Morgan Varner presents Fire Ecology’s Roots: Tall Timbers and Southeastern Fire Ecology. To kick off our 2024 monthly speaker series, our National SAFE officers are joined by Dr. Morgan Varner from Tall Timbers for a overview of current wildland fire research and management activities.
May 16, 2023: Joint Fire Science Program
Joint Fire Science Program leaders share an overview of their research funding and science delivery activities, including the Fire Exchange Networks and Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN) awards. GRIN recipients share insights on applying for grants, examples of how the grant funds were used to expand their projects, and research and career-related outcomes.
April 18,: Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program
Learn about the Missoula Fire Science Lab history and its relation to other USFS labs and management. Live fire behavior demo and fire experiments for better understanding of the fundamental physics of fire. Learn about novel techniques used in fire ecology data collection and analysis. Find out about other work at the lab and job opportunities.
March 7, 2023: Yosemite National Park
Dan Buckley FMO and other staff members will tell us about their spectacular fire careers, where they started, and what they do now to help manage fire and conservation at Yosemite National Park.
