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National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Success Story

Fire and Aviation Staff Host Australian Park Managers
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Cohesive Strategy - Response to Wildfire
2011

Six people in discussion at a picnic table looking over a map.
Australian park managers Catherine Mardell (second from left) and Eric Claussen (far right) show park fire and aviation staff a New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service fire management strategy tool. NPS photo.

In July 2011, staff from Grand Canyon National Park’s Branch of Fire and Aviation hosted two park managers from Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) National Parks and Wildlife Service. The park managers, Catherine Mardell and Eric Claussen, were traveling the U.S. and Canada as part of a Churchill Fellowship study tour to learn about methods of fire and fuel management and measurement.

The study project focused on reviewing methods and tools used to measure and predict fuel accumulation in natural landscapes with the aim of bringing ideas, examples, and models back to Australia to be adapted and incorporated into the development of a comprehensive fuel management strategy.

Grand Canyon fire ecology and GIS staff led a field trip for the visitors to demonstrate how the park uses satellite imagery and ground plots to understand burn severity patterns and changes in fuel loading across the landscape. Park staff also shared their experiences with implementing national and local fire monitoring, planning, and management protocols.

The visiting park managers shared their fire management strategy tool for communicating with the public and cooperating groups and partnerships. In addition, Mardell gave an informative presentation to park staff called “Fire, Pests, and People - Managing National Parks in NSW Australia.”

During the remainder of their study tour, the park managers planned to visit Point Reyes National Seashore, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Grand Teton National Park, and Banff National Park in Canada. They also planned to spend time with researchers from several universities and US Forest Service research stations.

Contact

Windy Bunn, Fire Ecologist
Email: Windy_Bunn@nps.gov
Phone: (928) 638-7895

Keywords: Partnerships