Blaine County, Idaho – Join the Wood River Land Trust, Idaho Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and University of Idaho for a community conversation with Dennis Becker, Dean of the College of Natural Resources. Dennis will share his expertise on how the Wood River Valley community can mitigate and
respond to wildland fires with cross-sector solutions. Scott Boettger, President of the Wood River Land Trust says, “In 2013, when the Beaver Creek fire burned 114,000
acres in our backyard, only one structure was lost. Credit is due to our local firefighters, as well as our local zoning codes— restricting development on hillsides and up remote drainages better prepared us to fight the fire.”

In light of Dennis’ research and Blaine County’s wildfire history, Planning Director Cece Osborn at the Wood River Land Trust will discuss the interface between our built environment, community efforts, and surrounding open spaces. Tess O’Sullivan, The Nature Conservancy’s Land Conservation Strategy Lead, will share information about the Conservancy’s statewide approach to building resilient forests that includes the use of prescribed fire. Solutions to wildfires are multi-faceted, reliant on regional coordination, and key to preserving our community’s natural resources.

Join us in a community conversation at Ketchum City Hall on Wednesday, November 15th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. All are welcome to attend, light refreshments will be served. For more information call or e-mail Courtney Jelaco at (208) 788-3947 or [email protected]. Ketchum City Hall is located at 191 5th St W, Ketchum, ID 83340.

Dr. Dennis R. Becker is professor and dean of the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho. He previously served as director of the
Policy Analysis Group in the college from 2015-2018, and prior to that was an associate professor of natural resource policy at the University of Minnesota.
He received a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Sciences from the University of Idaho in 2002, was a postdoctoral fellow with the USDA Forest Service, and a Fulbright Fellow in Norway. Dr. Becker’s research focuses on policy development, evaluation, and analysis of social and economic impacts in the areas of forest management, bioenergy and related natural resource topics.