Partnerships are Nurtured to Protect a Culture Steeped in Tradition
Partnerships are Nurtured to Protect a Culture Steeped in Tradition LAHAINA, Hawaiʻi – Each day, work crews clearing debris from the burned areas greet the rising and setting sun in prayer. In their dusty, steel-toed boots and neon vests, these men and women form a circle, their rhythmic clapping a signal of their physical, emotional and spiritual connection to each other and the land they labor over. They believe the blessing, or pule, keeps them safe from the dangers they navigate daily. In Lahaina, cultural ceremonies are as commonplace in safety protocols as donning protective gear or hazmat equipment. Since
FORT Economist James Meldrum and the Wildfire Research Team win the 2024 CO-LABS Governor’s Awards for High Impact Research: Pathfinding Partnerships Award
The Pathfinding Partnerships Award from CO-LABS recognizes impactful, collaborative research projects organized by four or more research entities, including federal labs, in Colorado. This year, the Wildfire Research (WiRē) team received this award for their support of evidence-based community wildfire education to help communities live with wildfire. As wildfire frequency and severity increases worldwide and urban populations expand further into wildlands, communities will face increasing risk of interaction with wildfire. Scientific research has established effective practices for reducing wildfire risk to homes and communities, like improving fire department access to land parcels, removing flammable materials or vegetation near buildings, and