Wildland Fire Education and Outreach Case Studies

National Park Labs: Studies of Wildland Fire Ecology High School Program Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, California, comprise one of the most racially and ethnically diverse communities in the country. Limited transportation, language barriers, and the enormous size of the area limits knowledge of and access to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Classroom laboratories and in–park programs provide ideal tools for reaching underserved and diverse groups of students.

For more than six years, the park has had well–established elementary and middle–school programs that reach the community. Yet, high school students continue to be woefully underserved. For that reason, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area staff applied for a grant from the National Park Foundation to support a program entitled National Park Labs: Studies of Wildland Fire Ecology. The program was funded in January 1998.

The goals of the program include increasing awareness of national park resources and stewardship, as well as understanding the role of fire in the environment. The grant provides ninth and tenth grade students, plus teachers, with practical curriculum–based scientific experiences; builds appreciation for park resources; and exposes students to career opportunities in resource management, science, math, and technology. The program is designed to meet National Science Teacher's Association (NSTA) standards and benchmarks.

Major partners involved include Los Angeles Unified School District; California Lutheran University; California State University Northridge; Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; University of California at Los Angeles; Los Angeles and Ventura County Fire Departments; California State Department of Education; California Geographic Alliance/National Geographic Society; Los Angeles County Office of Education; National Interagency Fire Center, Boise, Idaho; Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (Fire Management, Resource Management, and Interpretation); U.S. Forest Service; and U.S. Geological Survey.

Management of the Program

Programs are limited to classes of teachers who attend workshops in advance. Workshops in secondary schools are more well–attended in the fall and spring. Workshops are conducted through California Lutheran University and staffed by instructors from Los Angeles Unified School District and the National Park Service. Once teachers have attended the workshop, they are eligible to check out fire ecology test equipment for use at their schools or in the park (field).

Using Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE), teachers and students learn how to use accepted scientific protocols to measure and record weather, plant growth, soil, and other related data. Teachers and students also maintain field and laboratory notes and post them to the World Wide Web for universal use by scientists and other schools. Classes introduce Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS).

This program meets the new integrated coordinated science curriculum being implemented locally and considered statewide and nationally for high school students in grades 9 and 10. Rather than using traditional isolated scientific approaches of biology, physical science, chemistry, physics, genetics, etc., this program integrates scientific concepts across disciplines and uses them in the various labs and core units developed for the fire ecology program.

What Students Learn

Hands–on skills taught in the program include:

Steps in Program Development and Consideration

  1. Establish an advisory committee.
  2. Collect curriculum materials.
  3. Apply for grants.
  4. Hire outside consultants.
  5. Recruit volunteers and interns.
  6. Use students who previously attended the program as mentors for new groups.
  7. Recruit consultant for CD–ROM.
  8. Select pilot schools and/or classes to test elements of the program.
  9. Develop workshops to train teachers and staff and ensure confidence in the program equipment and materials.
  10. Train staff in GLOBE through university or school district–contracted program.
  11. Arrange with school district Eisenhower program and/or a local university for teacher workshop credit.
  12. Advertise the teacher workshop(s).
  13. Decide upon participant and control classes at the school (preferably the same teacher). Develop pre– and post–tests and compile data. Strive for determining cognitive growth and attitudinal change.
  14. Allow extra time for implementation through the park and school district(s) bureaucracy.
  15. Create a Memorandum of Understanding with your school district(s) and include a contract for payment of partner costs. (Know all the players.)
  16. Arrange for school pre–visits to introduce and train students for field studies. (Pay attention to school calendars.)
  17. Develop and revise field guide drafts following each workshop. Incorporate teacher critiques and recommendations.
  18. Test group classes should complete a minimum of three field visits to the park each year. Field programs should last a minimum of two hours per visit.
  19. Subsequent visits should build on previous knowledge.
  20. The staff should make a practice visit at the school within two weeks prior to the field visit.
  21. Limit class size to less than 40 students.
  22. Keep park, school officials, and other parties aware of your activities. Invite them to visit your programs.

Budget

As with most grants, parks and partners share a minimum of 50 percent of the costs. Following expiration of the grant, the program is expected to be reproducible in other venues and supported by the grantee agency and its partners.

National Park Labs: Studies of Wildland Fire Ecology Guide

The guide will be published, revised, and edited by December 2001. It will also be available via the internet at that time.

For More Information:

Arnold Miller or Dana Dierkes
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Division of Interpretation, Education Section
401 West Hillcrest Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

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