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“Learning to live with megafires” presentation on October 12
Michael Kodas |
Award-winning journalist and University of Colorado Boulder instructor Michael Kodas will present “Learning to live with megafires” on October 12, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Powerhouse Science Center. Kodas will share insights about the causes and consequences of megafires, gained from extensive interviews with firefighters, incident command teams, resource managers, policymakers, scientists and citizens. Kodas' investigation took him from a season on a Rockies fire crew, to tragedies in Australia, Arizona and beyond, to record-breaking fire seasons back home in Colorado.
Kodas writes about megafires in his award-winning book Megafire: The Race to Extinguish a Deadly Epidemic of Flame, where he describes the rising phenomenon of these increasingly widespread, severe and destructive forest fires from the perspective of the people and communities who have experienced them. In the wake of the 416 Fire, this presentation continues a timely conversation about how communities remain resilient and recover from the impacts; Kodas will welcome insights from attendees about their experience and expertise in adapting to this most recent environmental challenge.
Kodas is deputy director of the Center for Environmental Journalism, which is part of CU Boulder’s College of Media, Communication and Information. He has spent 30 years as a photojournalist, reporter, author and videographer. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Newsweek and on the CBS Evening News, PBS Newshour, National Public Radio, Dateline NBC and National Geographic News Watch.
The event starts with beverages, snacks and a meet and greet with community members, U.S. Forest Service personnel, Fort Lewis College faculty and students and other stakeholders from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Kodas will present thereafter, followed by a question and answer period, facilitated by Dr. Julie Korb, fire ecologist at Fort Lewis College, and a book signing.
This event is sponsored by the Powerhouse Science Center, Fort Lewis College, the U.S. Forest Service, and the University of Colorado Boulder Office for Outreach and Engagement.