Wildfire presentation coming to Moses Lake, Ephrata libraries
Wildfire consumes trees in north central Washington. Nature photographer John Marshall will talk about wildfire and its management in lectures at the Ephrata and Moses Lake libraries next week.
MOSES LAKE — Nature photographer John Marshall will talk wildfire and what he’s learned through his documentation in lectures at two local libraries next week.
Presentations are scheduled in Ephrata and Moses Lake. The Ephrata lecture will be 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Ephrata Public Library, 45 Northwest Alder St. Marshall will be in Moses Lake at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Moses Lake Public Library, 418 East Fifth Ave.
Marshall’s interest in fires and their impact dates to 1994 and a summer of big wildfires, according to a press release from the North Central Regional Library. The presentations are part of the library’s program on wildfires following severe fire seasons in 2014 and 2015.
Wildfire and its impact will be a focus of lectures and a question-and-answer session during February, March and April, leading up to a visit to Wenatchee by Timothy Egan, author of “The Big Burn.” The book is the subject of the Columbia River Reads program for 2016. Columbia River Reads participants all read the same book, with a lecture by the author as the program finale.
The idea is to talk about “how we came to where we are and where we’re going from here,” said Michelle McNiel, NCRL public relations specialist. Events include a question and answer session about the Firewise program, which shows people how to improve the chances of property surviving a wildfire. An historical presentation on wildfire in North Central Washington is planned also.
Marshall’s lectures are the only two events in Grant County, McNeil said. The NCRL outreach program is focusing on Washington history in 2016, according to the library system website. The program will shift to a new topic in May, McNeil said.
Marshall said he took the 1994 picture without exactly knowing why. In the 21 years since, “he’s photographed dozens of burned areas, documenting dynamic changes in the landscape as forest and sage lands grow back after fires,” the press release said.
Marshall has a degree in fishery science from Oregon State University and a master’s degree in wildlife resources from the University of Idaho. He is working with the U.S. Forest Service to compare historic and contemporary pictures of Washington forests and rangeland to show how they have changed over time.