Save

Welcome!

This workshop will assist teachers in understanding and creating fire ecology units for their classrooms; encourage students/parents to implement FireWise protocols in their homes and communities; provide teachers with a few “ready made” activites for classroom or online instruction.

Welcome to “Wildfire and You in a Changing Climate.”  

Fires burn thousands of acres in Alaska each year. Because fires affect all Alaskans, it is important that everyone understands the role of fire in Alaska. Fires caused by lightning are a natural part of the boreal forest and tundra ecosystems. They help maintain a diversity of vegetation ages and types, providing habitat for a greater abundance and diversity of wildlife. Climate Change is altering this regime with drier forests, longer, warmer summers and deteriorating permafrost.  The encroachment upon our forest areas by civilization (mores homes in the woods) require more vigilance and preparedness on the part of home and land owners. 

This on-line course has been developed to help teach Alaskans about the role fire plays in Alaska’s healthy ecosystems and what we can do as individuals to protect our homes and communities.  In this course we will explore Wildfire education curricula specific to Alaska, discuss available resources for background and enrichment, and get teacher’s started in developing and implementing Wildfire education in their classes. As per teachers’ requests, there are numerous “ready-to-go” activities included in this course…activities able to “stand alone” or be incorporated into a Fire Unit…that could be used either in a classroom setting or online instruction.

This self-directed course uses Project Learning Tree’s Explore Your Environment K-8 Online Course which has 5 Fire in Alaska modules embedded in the course. For access codes to the course, contact the Alaska Project Learning Tree Coordinator. Take the online course first, then continue with each lesson as directed.  Each lesson refers to a Fire in Alaska module from the PLT online course. 

The fire education curricula used in this course are listed and linked below. If you would like an ANROE Fire Education  thumb drive with curricula,  supporting presentations and videos, please email ANROE:  anroeak@gmail.com

This workshop development was funded by the Alaska Division of Forestry, Department of Natural Resources pursuant to USDA Forest Service Award No. 2017-DG-11100106-810 through the Alaska Natural Resources and Outdoor Education Association (ANROE)

Main curricula used for this course: (links to websites)
Role of Fire in Alaska www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/83599936/index.html
FireWise Alaska forestry.alaska.gov/Assets/pdfs/home/firewise09.pdf
FireWorks www.frames.gov/partner-sites/fireworks/fireworks-home/
Project Learning Tree www.plt.org/trainings/online/

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save