Reflections on the Queer Forestry and Fire Program
Category: Blog, forestry, Grasslands, LandPaths Preserves, Outdoor Equity, Stewardship, Volunteer, Wildfire Fuel Reduction
By LandPaths Staff
November 26, 2024
Story By Lara O’Herlihy, Stewardship Field Specialist
Photos on this page by Miranda Carreño
The closest sound to me is my handsaw cutting through the wood of a small Douglas fir tree, the next sound the wind bustling in the canopy overhead and through the tall dried grasses surrounding me, more distant the sounds of laughter and conversation from those working around me, beyond that the consistent call of the foghorn from the bay. These sounds surround me as I work in the Ocean Song grassland, homeland of the southern Pomo, alongside the twenty-five other individuals who participated in the Queer Forestry and Fire Program. These are the sounds of community, connection, and care for the land and each other that we created in this program.
This fall I was able to organize the Queer Forestry and Fire Program at LandPaths, a passion project of mine that has been years in the making. Every Saturday for six weeks our group gathered at one of two project sites, one at Riddell Preserve and the other at Ocean Song. We learned from and with each other and our guest speakers about basic forestry and fire skills, plant ID, the history of the land we were gathered on, and ways to get involved in stewardship efforts throughout our community. We all left the program with new knowledge and skills and made many good memories and a few friends along the way
The program was intended to create a safe space to collaboratively learn about forestry and fire in community. Individuals who are queer, BIPOC, and differently abled often face marginalization in these fields. Individuals who have similar lived experiences need a safe space to learn and connect to the land. Doing so, alongside each other, helps to work against inequality and stigma that the LGBTQIA+ community has faced in the outdoors. Tending the land in community can be a healing experience for us all.
Click here to see more photos of the Queer Fire and Forestry Program
Indigenous people have been tending the forests and grasslands of California for tens of thousands of years, often using fire. The forced removal of these peoples through genocide and colonization has led to the degradation of these ecosystems. Bringing stewardship and fire back to the land is essential for the health of the land. However, this work cannot be done without the perspectives of those from marginalized communities. Historically, land has been stewarded by everyone within a community. Broadening access to land stewardship for queer, BIPOC, and differently abled individuals is necessary if we wish to continue to exist on this land. Each person’s unique perspective contributes to a wholistic approach to land stewardship.
The final day of the program was November 9th, which fell several days after the 2024 presidential election, the results of which left many people within the group concerned for their own safety as queer individuals in the new political reality of the incoming administration, being in solidarity that day felt important. And doing so with joy was an act of resilience and resistance.
So maybe that’s the final sound, it’s a call to action, it’s an ask that we build the community spaces we wish to see.
2024 QFFP participant
" I am really thankful for this program and the wonderful humans I met during it. It offered a much needed safe place and community outdoors! I hope to see this program continue and thrive. "
