A wildfire burning through grass beneath the trees. Credit: USGS
Project Summary
Principal Investigator(s):
- Beth Rose Middleton (University of California, Davis)
Co-Investigator(s):
- Nina Fontana (University of California, Davis)
Cooperator/Partner(s):
- Diana Almendariz
- Christina Oraftik (North Fork Mono Tribe)
- Deniss Martinez (University of California, Davis)
- Landin Noland (University of California, Davis)
- Ron Goode (North Fork Mono Tribe)
- California Indian Public Domain Allotment Association
Fiscal Year: 2023
Start Date: 10/01/2023
End Date: 09/30/2024
Project Overview
Summary:
Despite the pandemic, Future of Fire postdoc Dr. Nina Fontana developed and contributed to a range of projects with cultural fire practitioners from 2021-2023.
This funding will provide her an additional year to complete and grow projects started with partners as a Future of Fire fellow. Fontana’s work focuses on two broad areas: (1) improving best practices in teaching and learning about cultural fire, and (2) developing culturally relevant decision support tools to support cultural fire practitioners.
Fontana will continue to develop and assess group experiential learning and practices that expand cultural fire education for different audiences. She will also continue her collaborations with tribal partners to identify and foster sites of climate refugia; to draft community-based burn plans based on Indigenous ecocultural values and burning practices as well as non-Indigenous prescribed fire practices; and to develop culturally inclusive tools that monitor the phenological responses of culturally important species to fire and gathering practices.
Related Publications
Upholding the sovereignty of diverse knowledges by supporting Indigenous science in high-impact education
Link to Article and Transcript External URL, watch the Interview on YouTube External URL