It's Summer of 2020...
I'm scrolling through my news feed, reading the headlines of the day: California on Fire, Record Setting Season, Insert Other Catchy Title Here . However, I don't need to read the full story, or even the headlines, to understand. Just by taking a look out of my kitchen window-- at the thick grey smoke which followed me 1000+ miles across state lines-- I can tell the fires are bad.
I head to the fridge to grab some cake, not in celebration or for comfort but just because that's what adults can do. Suddenly, something strikes a chord in me and I'm brought into a memory...
Happy birthday dear B-ehhh-eth, Happy birthday to you!! 🎶
Eleven candles flicker to the beat of The Birthday Song. A wide grin spreads across my face, it's one of those real smiles that my parents always wish I could do for the yearbook pictures.
I know it's going to be a good year! And to think, I haven't even had sugar yet!
Closing my eyes tight, I quickly think of my wish. Then, with a huff and a puff, I send a breath of hot air across the cake and watch as the candles fade away into satisfying darkness. Success!! Now I will surely get that puppy I've been asking for for forever!
Just then, right as I begin thinking about what I'd name my dog, the unexpected happens...
I see a warm glow creep into my periphery. A single candle lights up in the darkness. Though I've had a full 11 years of experience blowing out birthday candles, I missed the mark. I guess I won't get my wish after all...
Wait! What was that?! My disappointment is short-lived, quickly turning to astonishment then horror.
One by one, I watch the flame hop from candle to candle, reigniting the entire cake. I have never seen anything like this before but I know, as the birthday girl, it's my job to fix this.
Forget about the birthday wishes, there's no time for that now. I fill both of my lungs to the brim and send a second gust of wind across the cake, hoping that it will do the trick, but no...
The candles reignite once more. The situation is getting out of hand.
Oh no! NEED MORE AIR! Now I send a relentless torrent of wind across the cake-- because if it didn't work the second time, maybe it will work on the 3rd, 4th, or 7th try?
My cheeks are red from exertion and spit is getting everywhere! Smoke from the candles is think now, triggering alarm bells in my brain. I'm hyper-aware of the melting wax, recognizing that there is limited time before the fire reaches the sprinkles.
At this point, I am no longer a birthday girl blowing out candles on a cake. Rather, I'm an inexperienced beat cop trying to diffuse a bomb: Where's the red wire?! How do I make this stop?! Quick before the whole thing blows up!
This Fire is WILD.
I think back again to the California wildfires.
Like candles on a birthday cake, fire is vital to many landscapes across the state. Yet, wildfires are getting out of hand, causing catastrophic damage at an unprecedented scale. Just when we get one fire contained, it seems as though another pops up to take its place.
We have found ourselves in a tricky situation.
But here's the twist: We are tricking ourselves.
Through this blog, I will be unpacking how wildfire is affecting California and the ways in which policy, public perception, and development practice have contributed to today's problem. In addition, I will be shedding light on several solutions we can enact moving forward. Let's change those candles and create more sustainable, fire-adapted, communities moving forward!
Stay tuned! Things are about to get hot!!
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