The first fire campout was in 2021, the spring after the August fire. A small group of friends gathered in the middle of the largest area of severe burn. They took a hike into a burned area to see natural recovery, a walk with Adam Canter, botanist for the Wiyot Tribe, right near camp to learn about Indian use and management of native plants, and heard a presentation from the Forest Service district archaeologist John Fable on post-fire archaeology. One participant described it as “casual but deep, with a volunteer spirit.”

Ryan Henson from the California Wilderness Coalition pointed out landmarks in a burned part of the Yolla Bolly Wilderness. Tritelia laxa, a type of “Indian potato,” was blooming under fire-killed Douglas firs near the campsite.

In 2022, a larger group came together. Speakers included Matt Simmons from the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) on the laws pertaining to national forest logging, and Doug Bevington from Environment Now on “Myths of Prescribed Fire.” His excellent article summarizing the issues can be read here: https://rewilding.org/myths-of-prescribed-fire-the-watering-can-that-pretends-to-be-a-river/ Participants studied the BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) map of soil damage severity. Two field trips took people into burned forest areas to explore natural recovery. While conifers had heavy losses, everything else, from oaks to shrubs to grasses and bulbs, was growing back. Elderberries were sending up fresh shoots. Reverse engineering what happened where a big stump burned out. We looked at maps of Douglas-fir invasion in the North Fork Eel. Douglas-fir spreads quickly in the absence of frequent fire, and the dense young trees contribute to heavy fuel loading and dangerous conflagrations. Oaks, on the other hand, recover well from even severe fire, sprouting from the base. Their colorful young leaves will turn green as spring progresses. Despite the loss of tens of thousands of acres of Douglas-fir, the ecosystem is healthy enough to support apex predators such as coyotes and mountain lions.