I. Introduction
II. Meeting Highlights
III. Field Session
IV. Support for Journalists

I. Introduction

On October 21-23, scientists will gather with land managers, resource specialists, and fire management planners in Englewood, CO, for Wildland Fire Impacts on Watersheds: Understanding, Planning, and Response. The meeting will focus on processes set in motion in the aftermath of wildland fire. Topics include landslides, soil erosion, debris flows, flooding, degraded water quality, and other environmental issues. Their impacts will be examined through a combination of talks and an all-day field session at the Hayman fire area and other recent burn sites in Colorado.

The meeting is sponsored by the Geological Society of America, headquartered in Boulder, CO. Participating organizations include the International Association of Wildland Fire, USDA Forest Service, US Geological Survey, American Water Works Association, Society of American Foresters, and The Nature Conservancy.

Science and environment writers are invited to attend sessions and participate in all or part of the field session. Registration is complimentary.

II. Meeting Highlights

Top national experts in wildland fire rehabilitation will speak at the conference. Some highlights include:

Overview of risks to forest and rangeland watersheds and impacts on water quality.
James E. Hubbard, State Forester, Colorado State Forest Service
Dwight Atkinson, Environmental Protection Agency

How burn severity and its aftermath is eased by thinning and other pre-fire management techniques.
Kevin Ryan, USDA Forest Service (and others)

Evaluating watershed vulnerability.
Erv Gasser, National Park Service (and others)

Mitigation of hazards including flooding, landslides, and erosion
Pete Robichaud, USDA Forest Service

Keynote Speaker Paul Perkins, Cen
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Contact: Ann Cairns
acairns@geosociety.org
303-357-1056
Geological Society of America
14-Oct-2003