Collaboration Advances Community Understanding of Wildfire Risk in Taos

Complex scientific information about wildfire behavior, forest health, and watershed protection has been difficult for many Taos residents to access and understand. This has contributed to confusion and resistance to mitigation efforts, despite the county ranking above 92% of U.S. counties for wildfire risk. Without clear, locally grounded explanations, community members have struggled to grasp why risks are increasing and what actions they can take to protect their homes and neighborhoods.

Recognizing this critical communication gap, community members working on wildfire mitigation developed an innovative solution: bringing together fire scientists, storytellers, and local stakeholders to translate technical research into clear narratives that can reach all residents.

LOR’s funding supported a four-day immersive bootcamp that paired five fire and forest ecologists with ten storytellers, media-makers, and local stakeholders to create accessible educational content on wildfire risk and forest stewardship.

The intensive collaboration included field visits to burn sites and facilitated dialogue sessions, generating materials that will be used across multiple platforms—including a fifth-grade public school curriculum, student art exhibits, a major public exhibit at the Paseo event, guided field trips, a speaker series, a printed catalog, and a documentary film.

By creating shared language and understanding across scientists, storytellers, and community members, this project will help build public fluency around wildfire risks and support more informed community action on forest management and watershed protection.

This project is fiscally sponsored by Downtown Taos.