Our relationship with fire seems fundamental. In fact, it appears in origin stories, myths, and legends for as far back as recorded history. Even before history was recorded — because let’s be honest, history was still happening — there is ample evidence of fire as well. It seems that over generations of living with this, this… well, what is fire? How do you actually talk about it? You cannot hold it, store it, touch it, but it can shape your existence, your surroundings, your life. Fire sounds more like a riddle than an object; more like an emotion than a tangible thing.

A friend of mine once taught me something I'll never forget about working in conservation - he told me that our primary job is to meet people wherever they are on the "pathway to stewardship" and help them up the next step of the path. 

What is the pathway to stewardship? It is encapsulated very well by the quote from Baba Dioum: “In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.” 

On August 1, sixteen area high school students arrived at Fort Lewis College for a weeklong kick-off for the Environmental and Climate Institute, an extracurricular program for high school students in partnership with Fort Lewis College. The students came together with the common interest of seeing the local community and region through the lens of critical climate and environmental issues. The group took on projects throughout the region, from tackling invasive deer at Ophir fen to creating a community garden. MSI's Jewel Coleman remarked, "Many (students) had never met before, but they left as best friends. All had a passion for science and came together because they wanted to do something to help the environment.”