Southern Humboldt Fire Safe Council: Part of the Web of Groups Working Together to Rebuild Our Relationship to Fire

November 22, 2023
The October 19 cultural fire burn at the Southern Humboldt Community Park—the first Cultural Burn in southern Humboldt in over 150 years—is a great example of southern Humboldt collaboration in action. Collaborators included Eel River Wailaki, Native Health in Native Hands, Wailaki Cultural Fire Crew, Trees Foundation, Briceland VFD, Garberville VFD, Humboldt County Prescribed Burn Association, Southern Humboldt Community Park, and local volunteers. The burn was conducted where a natural Hazel Grove lives. The hazel, or lachindé in Wailaki, is an important basket-making material and provides healthy nuts for animals and people. The hazel has been managed for many thousands of years till recently and now is not producing nuts and the stems of the bush are not able to be used for baskets or other uses without being maintained with fire and pruning. Photo by Kai Ostrow

Submitted by Gail Eastwood, Chair, Southern Humboldt Fire Safe Council If you watch busy ants around an anthill for a while, you’ll see many ants industriously moving a bit of grain or chaff or something. It appears to be part of a coordinated effort to achieve some mutual goal. But where is the commander? Who’s…

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Organizing for Fire Preparedness in Southern Humboldt

April 6, 2022
At the March 25th Fire Safety Friday event in the Garberville Town Square from left to right: Bill and Gail Eastwood, Christina Huff, Kathy Weber, Mitchell Danforth, and Arnold Piceno Sanchez (CAL FIRE Humboldt-Del Norte Forestry Aide and Defensible Space Inspector). Photo by Kerry Reynolds

Southern Humboldt Fire Safe Council By Gail Eastwood Are you ready for another fire season? The Southern Humboldt Fire Safe Council has been active all winter with fuel-break planning, neighborhood organizing, and community education. Here are some highlights of what we’ve been up to: We’re in the planning stages of an ambitious regional fuel break…

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