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Fire Brings Water
“Fire brings water...once we put fire on the land, the water comes back.”
- Ron Goode, Chairman, North Fork Mono Tribe
What is Fire Brings Water?
“Fire Brings Water” is a Stewarding Knowledges project funded through an Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Education Grant for a two-year cycle (2025–2027). Our focus is to support Washoe youth and young adults in becoming fluent in both traditional fire knowledge and contemporary fire science.
Inspired by Ron Goode’s statement, “Fire brings water,” and our experiences with this concept on Washoe land, we are exploring the meaning in this context. Our collaboration centers Wá:šiw Elders and Youth, building a team to collectively understand ‘good fire’ in the basin. We will be developing a curriculum for this project that is rooted in place-based Traditional Ecological Knowledge, honoring and ensuring its preservation. Fire Brings Water is facilitated by the Stewarding Knowledges core team.
Our Goals
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People / Collaborators / Advisors
Collaborators and Advisors include five subgrantees for the project: Our advisors and teachers include 7 Washoe Elder Knowledge Keepers, 20 student participants, Indigenous scientists, and environmental and fire experts from the Tahoe Basin, along with Stewarding Knowledges educatore and artists.
Washoe Tribe Environmental Protection Department
Washiw Zulshish Goom Tahn Nu (Washoe Warrior Society)
GeoSpatial Analysis Lab at University of San Francisco
Washoe Tribal Off-Reservation Membership
Sierra Watershed
Education Project
USF Community Architecture at University of San Francisco
Pedagogy & Curriculum
A key outcome of this project will be a publicly available curriculum designed for adaptation by fire-prone communities and Indigenous collaborations. We plan to publish the curriculum at the end of the project in 2027.
To stay connected to our progress for Fire Brings Water please join our mailing list!
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