Fire. The word itself if powerful, conjuring up conflicting images of fear and also comfort, of destruction and barbecues. Fire is not a malicious force. It has no more malicious intentions than a penny falling from a skyscraper. But the impacts can range from helpful to horrible, depending on how humans interact and have historically interacted with the landscape.

This is a story of when fire helped. It’s a story that often isn’t told but one that can spark renewed belief of how our actions can in fact lead to a better outcome. That does not mean, however, that we can do it every time for every fire. It does mean that we can do some things, most notably accept the natural and inevitable existence of fire. Because fire, well, fire is life.

In this episode, Fire is Life, we talk with Angie Krall, the West Zone District Ranger on the Carson National Forest, about the Midnight Fire, long-term thinking, and the necessity of fire.

A special thanks to Angie Krall. Music by Zebulon Krol.

The Dirt and Dust is brought to you by the 2-3-2, Mountain Studies Institute, the Forest Stewards Guild, the USDA Forest Service, and Zebulon Krol.

Want to hear more? Listen to our audio story map to hear the history of the 2-3-2 at 232partnership.org.

We have the power to change the notion of watershed in an instant, connecting spaces in unforeseen ways through things like diversions. The upper Navajo River in southern Colorado is one such example, where water is diverted from the San Juan River basin into the Rio Chama and eventually the Rio Grande, providing the majority of drinking water for Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The headwaters of the Navajo River therefore jump out as a vital location for how we think about land, forests, fire, and especially water. Because water, well, water is life. In this episode, Water is Life, we talk with Tim Haarmann, who manages a large-acre ranch that encompasses the entire Navajo River headwaters about his life, responsibility, humility, and connection.

A special thanks to Tim Haarmann and the Banded Peak Ranch. Music by Zebulon Krol.

The Dirt and Dust is brought to you by the 2-3-2, Mountain Studies Institute, the Forest Stewards Guild, the USDA Forest Service, and Zebulon Krol.

Want to hear more? Listen to our audio story map to hear the history of the 2-3-2 at 232partnership.org.

What would nature do? We often don't know until a critical piece of nature no longer functions, and we have to replace it. If we want that replacement to last, it must align with the way nature already works. It is not a machine with parts, but an ecosystem of emergence. What does that mean to embody the critical connection in nature? What does it mean to embody a beaver!? Stream restoration starts with pushing the understanding of how streams work and how much they rely on beavers. This episode of The Dirt and Dust, Becoming Beavers explores the idea of imitating nature to help restore a stream system all in the hopes that beavers come back and do the work themselves.

Like beavers? Read Eager: The Surprising , Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter by Ben Goldfarb.

A special thanks to Reid Whittlesey, Anders Hastings, Whitesun Yazzie, and Peter Watson from Rio Grande Return. Learn more at https://riograndereturn.org/.

The Dirt and Dust is brought to you by the 2-3-2, Mountain Studies Institute, the Forest Stewards Guild, the USDA Forest Service and Zebulon Krol.

Want to hear more? Listen to our audio story map to hear the history of the 2-3-2 at 232partnership.org.