The Focus on Fire series taking place this October at the Felton Branch Library offers the community a variety of perspectives on living with wildfire in our region. Three events in the series will be presented in the Community Room at the Felton Branch. The series is sponsored by the Felton Library Friends.
The series begins with a film screening and discussion of The CZU Fire In Their Own Words—Fighting Fires, Losing Homes, and Rebuilding Community 5 – 6:30 p.m. on Thursday October 13th with director Peter Gelblum from MCT. In this moving film, actors use the words of people who fought the fire and those who lost their homes speaking about their experiences. Photos and videos from the families and local photographers are woven in. Following the film, the director will answer questions.
The next event in the series will be People and Fire in California—Then and Now with Spencer Klinefelter of San Jose State 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. on Thursday October 20th. Attendees will learn how people have viewed, interacted with, and utilized fire in California, from indigenous stewardship practices through the era of fire suppression and into the growing use of prescribed fire to restore ecosystems, enhance natural processes, and protect communities.
Finally, the series ends with A Landscape Built to Burn—Fire in Our State Parks 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 27th with Tim Hyland, Natural Resource Program Manager, Santa Cruz District of CA State Parks. We’ll learn about fire ecology in California, local native plant adaptations to fire, the specific response to the CZU fire at the Fall Creek, Big Basin, and Butano State Parks, and the future of these parks.
All events are free and registration is not required.
• Photo credit: Nic Coury / Special to the San Francisco Chronicle