First Tuesday: Living with Fire, Season by Season
When: Tuesday, February 2, at 7pm.
Where: TBD
Wildfire has always been part of life in the Methow Valley, and the conditions around it are changing. The good news is that much of what shapes how fire affects our homes and communities is within our reach: what’s around our houses, how we care for our neighborhoods, and how we tend the larger landscape. Small, steady steps can make a real difference.
This talk will show that wildfire preparedness is a year-round practice, with work suited to every season: fall cleanup, winter planning, spring projects, and summer readiness. Over the past few years, Sam has walked properties with more than 100 residents to assess their homes. He’ll share what he’s learned with local examples of homes, ranches, and neighborhoods that have taken practical steps toward living with fire. The talk will also explore how we adapt over time, as individuals and as a community, with an eye toward the valley the next generation will inherit. You’ll leave with a clear sense of what you can do, why it’s worth doing, and how a manageable list of steps, taken a bit at a time, adds up to a more fire-adapted valley.
Banner photo courtesy of Okanogan County Emergency Management
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This presentation is free and open to the public. Contact Bridger with any questions.
We encourage attendees to carpool to our events if possible. Call your neighbors, fill your car, reduce your emissions, and enjoy the company!
About Sam
Sam Israel leads Fire Adapted Methow’s effort to harness resources and energize people to build communities and landscapes adapted to fire. Working at the nexus of community wildfire preparedness and mitigation, Sam collaborates with landowners, communities, and local governments to live more safely with fire. As a forester and planner, he helps land stewards care for their forests and empowers communities to reduce their wildfire risk. He co-leads the local prescribed burn association, which is built on neighbors helping neighbors bring good fire back to their land. His approach treats preparedness as a year-round, multigenerational practice built on shared responsibility. When he’s not in the woods, Sam coaches youth soccer and serves on the board of Mountain Music Fund, a local arts nonprofit.
Sam Israel with his son Lior on a PBA prescribed burn near Winthrop, WA.