Washoe Intentional Fire Training to start at Lake Tahoe

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. – The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California is hosting the first Washoe Intentional Fire Training in Lake Tahoe from September 30 to October 4, 2024. This event is part of a broader interagency initiative that blends Indigenous knowledge with modern land management techniques and fosters community collaboration.

“The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California has been working towards establishing crews to do stewardship work in their ancestral homelands alongside environmental partners,” said Rhiana Jones, Environmental Program Director with the Washoe Environmental Protection Department. “The purpose of this training is to inform our community, participants, and partners of our goals to reintroduce cultural fire, gain experience and knowledge on prescribed fire, and build relationships with partners to increase stewardship opportunities for the Washoe Tribe in the Tahoe Basin.”

Held at the University of Nevada, Reno Lake Tahoe 4-H Camp, this training marks a major step toward developing a skilled workforce, promoting ecosystem resilience and reintroducing cultural burning practices on Washoe lands. These elements are essential to the Tribe's long-term vision for the well-being of the environment, culture, and Washoe communities.

“The Washoe Tribe hopes to increase capacity for fuels reduction and prescribed fire work in the Tahoe Basin and provide opportunities for our community to reconnect with their cultural practices by supporting traditional ecosystem restoration in our homelands,” said Jones.

This training is the product of a collaborative interagency effort between the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, University of Nevada, Reno Extension, the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, The Watershed Research and Training Center and The Nature Conservancy. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to supporting the Washoe Tribe’s goals for land stewardship and ensuring the long-term health of the natural and cultural resources in Washoe homelands.

"Our collaboration is about adding capacity to the Washoe Tribe’s land stewardship efforts," said Christina Restaino, Assistant Professor with the University of Nevada, Reno Extension. "By supporting the Tribe’s work, we’re not only helping preserve vital cultural and natural resources but also helping strengthen the resilience of ecosystems across Washoe homelands.”

Participating tribal members will have an opportunity to gain essential fire training, management skills and certifications while also learning about the Washoe Tribe’s traditional burning practices and natural resources that hold deep cultural importance for the Washoe people.

The Nature Conservancy, a global nonprofit with over 60 years of prescribed fire experience, will provide instruction for the hands-on basic fire training, which meets the standards of the US National Wildfire Coordinating Group. “Following the Washoe Tribe’s leadership, we can offer our prescribed fire skill sets to help build capacity that fits into their vision of reigniting fire culture and practices,” said Lyndsey Lascheck, Prescribed Fire Specialist with The Nature Conservancy. “We are humbled to play a small part in supporting their fire stewardship among their homelands.”

The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is providing expertise, equipment, and instruction for the field-based components of this training program. “This training event will be a great opportunity for a mutual exchange of knowledge and expertise about prescribed fire and traditional burning practices,” said Rosalie Herrera, Deputy Forest Supervisor for the LTBMU. “We look forward to continuing to work with and learn from our tribal partners to achieve healthy and resilient forests for current and future generations.”

Funding for this project is provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Business and Workforce Development Grants, The Nature Conservancy, Tahoe Fund, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and the National Forest Foundation.