Discover your forest leads accessible place-based conservation education across central oregon as an established guide for educators, students, and community members

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) awarded a $274,176 Cooperative Agreement under the BLM Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance Program Activities (CFDA 15.228) to Discover Your Northwest, a non-profit organization based in Seattle, WA. The Cooperative Agreement funds the delivery of a youth wildfire education program in central Oregon, including a curriculum focused on fire ecology, mitigating wildfire risks, and fostering responsible fire behavior and community safety practices. The program is designed to meet Next Generation Science Standards and Oregon's Tribal Shared History Standards, and will implement trauma-informed teaching practices. The initiative aims to build lifelong environmental stewardship among youth, who will develop into future landowners, homeowners, and community leaders in wildland-urban interface areas. The award period is from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

Like other western states, oregon is at increased risk for dangerous wildfires which poses a critical need for ecological education focused on mitigating wildfire risks and creating defensible spaces in harmony with nature. Lifelong awareness is important as youth develop into eventual landowners, homeowners, and leaders of communities exposed to wildland-urban interfaces. This youth wildfire education program (k-12) will foster responsible fire behavior and best practices in community safety in the next generation of environmental stewards. The wildland fire educator will deliver discover your forests fire ecology curriculum. The curriculum will meet grade-level requirements of the next generation science standards and oregons tribal shared history standards (senate bill 13). IT will also implement trauma-informed teaching practices. Our program is intended to pick up where the central oregon fire management service prevention technicians team-teaching leaves off (grade 1), provide progressive learning curriculum in wildland fire education for grades 2-12 with federal agency and native specialists, and introduce career pathway opportunities for high school aged youth to young adults in fire management.