Education and Outreach Committee
Co-Chairs: Emilee Martell, Driftless Area Land Conservancy and Selvio DeAngeles, Quercus Land Stewardship Services
For more information on our Education and Outreach committee, or to join the committee, please contact Emilee Martell or Selvio DeAngeles. Participation in the committee is open to any interested member of the WPFC.
Our Mission
The Education and Outreach Committee develops and provides informational materials useful for increasing the understanding and acceptance of prescribed fire as an effective land management tool. We aim to disseminate the most up to date and accepted information in order to advance the safe and effective use of prescribed fire in Wisconsin.
To date, the committee has produced hangers to be placed on doors of neighbors in a prescribed burn area notifying them of an upcoming prescribed fire. In addition, supplemental fact sheets regarding fire in wetlands, tall grass prairie, restored prairie, oak savanna and oak woodland are provided.
The following materials have been produced to help prescribed burners communicate with and educate the public in Wisconsin. Please respect that permission is required for commercial use.
Increasing Burn Capacity Webinars
On December 2nd 2021, the Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Council hosted its first ever webinar, Increasing Prescribed Burn Capacity in Wisconsin – Getting More Fire on the Ground Safely!
If you were not able to attend, could only tune in for a portion, or simply want to rewatch your favorite segment, please follow the link below to view the recording! Big thanks to the TNC WEEP Team for facilitating the event and processing this recording!
Webinar Recording: https://tnc.app.
Increasing the capacity of prescribed fire in Wisconsin is multifaceted. As such, our goal is to develop a series of discussion based webinars addressing the different elements, roadblocks, and opportunities for collaboration regarding increasing the capacity for safe prescribed fire. We hope to host our next webinar in our series after the 2022 spring burn season. Please stay tuned!
Press Release
The committee drafted a biannual press release for the spring and fall burn seasons. Local and state media outlets will be issued an official press release prior to each burn season, with particular attention paid to the Wisconsin State Journal (WSJ) and Madison area news outlets. The final draft will be available soon, be sure to look for us in the news!
Henry Vilas Zoo Signage
We have a new sign at the Henry Vilas Zoo! The WPFC Education & Outreach Committee worked with the Henry Vilas Zoo’s Conservation Education Curator in 2016-17 to design a fire ecology sign for the George Fait North American Prairie Exhibit. This sign is specifically geared towards grade and middle school aged children, inspiring the next generation of prescribed fire practitioners! Go check out the sign, installed October 2017! Click here to view the PDF.
Online Remodel
We are always updating and providing the most up to date information on our website. We are also in the process of remodeling our listserv. We are featured on Facebook, so be sure to Like us and even post photos and information on burns you have conducted. We also share relevant webinars, training opportunities, and articles on prescribed fire on our Facebook. If you have any suggestions, additions, or IT ability please contact us with your ideas.
Door Hangers
Door hangers can be used to alert neighbors of a prescribed fire in their area. Our door hangers can either be picked-up or downloaded. To find the closest location to pick up door hangers, contact Alex Wenthe at Quercus Land Stewardship Services. Use them along with our fact sheets to notify and educate people about prescribed buring in their area.
Fact Sheets
The fact sheets are designed to put into door hangers or be used seperately as educational mailings and handouts. All fact sheets are in PDF format: Print them as trifold brochures for the best result.
- Wetland Prescribed Fire Fact Sheet
- Tall Grass Prairie Prescribed Fire Fact Sheet
- Tall Grass Prairie Restoration Prescribed Fire Fact Sheet
- Oak Savanna Prescribed Fire Fact Sheet
- Oak Woodland Prescribed Fire Fact Sheet
Fireworks in Wisconsin
We are in the beginning stages of creating a resource kit for statewide school districts. The material will aid in the learning and understanding of prescribed fire for children, grades 1-10. We hope to model our resource kit after similar programs that have already been established out west, but with a focus on prescribed fire. Please contact us if you are a retired educator with some free time or just simply interested in working on this project!
