Wildfires and Us Fire Ecology Field Trip

Landscape ecologist Paul Hessburg and biologist/photographer John Marshall will lead this tour of fire-prone forest environments. Participants will meet at the museum, then board a bus that will make two stops for short interpretive hikes near Cashmere and Leavenworth. Hessburg and Marshall will show how repeated wildfires maintain dry forest, how plants and animals respond to fire, how topography influences fire behavior, what the forest was like in Indian times, and challenges springing from homes intermingled with forest. Participants should bring a lunch, dress for all weather conditions, and be prepared to hike up to two miles on rough ground. The tour is an outgrowth of the Wenatchee Valley Museum’s current exhibit, “Wildfires and Us,” on display through Nov. 21. Call 888-6240 to reserve a spot.