After the Fire: A Public Meeting October 29-30

This year, the Telegraph and Mescal Fires impacted hundreds of lives and charred over 250,000 acres of land in central Arizona. Driven by persistent drought and exacerbated by extreme temperatures, the fires burned across Pinal and Gila Counties and San Carlos Apache Reservation, damaging dozens of structures, and causing evacuations of multiple communities. Following containment, the record monsoon season triggered floods and debris flows that threatened property and lives. Despite these hardships, natural disasters have a way of binding communities together, creating opportunities for collaboration toward recovery and resilience. On October 29 and 30, the public is invited to Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum in Miami, AZ to hear from natural resource managers and community leaders about the short and long-term impacts of the fires on the landscape and watershed. The Cobre Valley Watershed Partnership is hosting this event in collaboration with Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum, US Forest Service, the WRRC, and UArizona Cooperative Extension.

 

Bringing together private, nonprofit, academic, local, state, and federal partners, members of the public are invited to learn about the status of local land and water resources and share their priorities for recovery and preparation for future hazards. Attendees will engage with the experts about fire ecology and invasive grasses, and find out what it means to live in a fire-adapted community. Both speakers and audience members will be prompted to respond to questions about what changes may be necessary to maximize restoration and improve planning. In the long-term, fire-friendly mindsets may be necessary to improve environmental outcomes and help realign ecological patterns and processes.

 

Registration is free but required for both the online and in-person versions of the event. In-person attendance is limited to 30 people.