Tribes, CAL FIRE Team Up for 4th Annual Cultural Fire Symposium in Blue Lake

Press release from CAL FIRE Humboldt – Del Norte Unit:

The Blue Lake Rancheria, in partnership with the Yurok Tribe and CAL FIRE, is proud to announce the 4th annual Cultural Fire Symposium, a two-day gathering [JUNE 16-17, 9:00 AM -4:00 PM] dedicated to advancing cultural fire stewardship, strengthening community resilience, and fostering collaboration among Tribal nations, fire practitioners, researchers, and community members.  

[Photos provided by Blue Lake Rancheria]

Building on success of previous years, this annual event has become a leading regional forum for sharing Indigenous fire knowledges, stewardship practices, and innovative approaches to restoring fire-adapted landscapes. Past symposiums have brought together cultural fire practitioners and representatives from Tribal governments, local, state, and federal agencies, academic institutions, and local organizations to exchange knowledge and demonstrate how cultural burning is critical for ecosystem health, wildfire risk reduction, and community well being. 

The first day of the Symposium will feature presentations and panel discussions with subject experts across a wide field of professions and cultural fire traditions. A new addition for this year’s symposium will be Community Listening Circles as a part of the BLR Good Fire Healing Coalition project, designed to create space for meaningful dialogue among Tribal leaders, fire  

practitioners, agency representatives, and community members. These conversations will encourage participants to share experiences, discuss challenges, and explore pathways to realize fire futures on the Land, while co-creating knowledge that will develop cultural fire resources, teams, and management plans. 

The Symposium’s second day will provide the chance to observe and possibly participate in a cultural fire operation. The BLR Good Fire Healing Coalition presents a unique opportunity for the public and agencies to learn about traditional landscape stewardship practices, and how they play a role in reducing the wildfire risk while re-establishing landscape health in the region.  Participants will learn about fire behavior, safety and visitor protocols, and the ecological and cultural objectives of the Voupul Cx burn. 

The Cultural Fire Symposium reflects the ongoing collaboration among Blue Lake Rancheria, the Yurok Tribe, and CAL FIRE in order to promote cultural burning and wildfire preparedness throughout the region. The full agenda with a schedule of events and speaker list will be shared once available.