Jared Dahl Aldern

@jdaldern.bsky.social

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Co-lead of the Sierra-Sequoia Resource Stewards, a partnership of four California Native American Tribes and other landowners, fire practitioners, and researchers. Co-editor, *Landkeeping: Restoring Indigenous Fire Stewardship and Ecological Partnerships*

Map showing the current boundaries of San Diego County and the historical locations of Mexican Ranchos
A Datura with several bright white blooms casts a shadow on a trail
Taxidermy grizzly bear in a museum display, shown as if walking a rocky path among yucca, young shrubs, and grasses. The painted background depicts rocky cliffs. Source: Wikipedia, "California grizzly bear article." The Wikipedia caption reads, "Ursus arctos californicus, Santa Barbara, Natural History Museum, 2019.11.24 (26)"
Dan Piraro cartoon showing Sasquatch sitting on a log in a green forest, typing on a laptop computer. Message on the computer is. ''Dear Humans, it's time for you to start healing. Love, Sasquatch.'' Forest creature looks on from behind a tree. A bird is hanging down from a nearby branch. It looks as though a firecracker or a stick of dynamite with a lit fuse lies beneath a nearby bush.
Screenshot from Western Watersheds Project post on Facebook. Text at the top reads “Shifting Baseline Syndrome (SBS): This may seem normal if it's all you've ever known.” Below this text, AI-generated images show scenes from years: 2020: A nearly treeless landscape with scattered small birds, butterflies, and small mammals 1950: more trees and shrubs, more diverse bird population. deer 1800: dense forest with eagle, bear, deer, fox, many others My comment at the bottom: Now do 1491.
This images reproduces Fig. 12.2 in *Landkeeping: Restoring Indigenous Fire Stewardship and Ecological Partnerships.* The figure’s caption reads: “Muskrats are the gardeners of kisiskāciwani sīpiy maskēko askīy.” The black and white photograph shows a wet-furred muskrat hunched into the left half of the frame, with a bright background. Dark reflections appear underneath the animal.
This image is a reproduction of Fig. 8.1. in Landkeeping: Restoring Indigenous Fire Stewardship and Ecological Partnerships (see https://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/landkeeping): The figure’s caption reads: “Map of the Jemez Mountains and the distribution of dry conifer forests (gray areas) in Arizona (AZ) and New Mexico (NM).” The map indicates the location of Jemez in northern New Mexico and significant areas of dry conifer forest in northern and southwestern New Mexico, as well as in a swath running from west-central New Mexico into central Arizona and then curving northward.
This image is a reproduction of a figure in the book, Landkeeping: Restoring Indigenous Fire Stewardship and Ecological Partnerships. Fig. 7.1. Indigenous Fire New York: Native Nations (Source: Author created) The image shows an outline map of the state of “New York” with the locations of the following Native Nations shown with fire icons: Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Tuscarora Tonawanda Oneida Onondaga Cattaraugus Саyuga Allegany Oil Springs Shinnecock Unkechaug
After years of reading our many drafts on my computer screen, I’m holding this book in my hand for the first time: Landkeeping Restoring Indigenous Fire Stewardship and Ecological Partnerships Edited by Jared D. Aldern and Theresa Lynn Gregor
Origin and history of chaparral chaparral (n.) "dense, low shrub thicket," 1850, American English, from Spanish chaparro "evergreen oak," perhaps from Basque txapar "little thicket," diminutive of sapar "heath, thicket." In Spain, a chaparral is a bush of a species of oak. The termination al signifies a place abounding in; as, chaparral, a place of oak-bushes, almendral, an almond orchard; parral, a vineyard; cafetal, a coffee plantation, etc., etc. This word, chaparral, has been introduced into the language since our acquisition of Texas and New Mexico, where these bushes abound. It is a series of thickets, of various sizes, from one hundred yards to a mile through, with bushes and briars, all covered with thorns, and so closely entwined together as almost to prevent the passage of any thing larger than a wolf or hare. [John Russell Bartlett, "Dictionary of Americanisms," 1859]
Slide from our presentation with the text, “Presidential Plenary: Landkeeping Restoring Indigenous Fire and Ecological Partnerships-with Jared Aldern, Theresa Gregor, & Tony Marks-Block” alongside an image of the book’s cover, showing the book’s title and “Edited by Jared D. Aldern and Theresa Lynn Gregor.”
Cover image of the book, *The Deadliest Fires Then and Now* by Deborah Hopkinson
The Greenland flag was designed by Thue Christiansen and adopted on 21 June 1985. It is called Erfalasorput, which means “our flag”. The red colour is called Aappalaartoq (“red”) and is used both in the Greenland flag and the Danish flag (Dannebrog). The red and white symbolise hundreds of years as part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The circle in the middle represents the sun setting on the horizon and the light and warmth that return at midsummer. The fact that the Greenland flag does not feature a cross shows clearly that the country has a degree of political freedom as well as a close affinity with the other Inuit peoples around the pole. Source: https://www.norden.org/en/information/greenland-flag
ZZ Top in 1975, decked out in western wear. Jackets adorned with syncretic decorations and designs with elements that originated with Native people and immigrants from Mexico, Poland, Russia, and elsewhere.
Smoke rises from a stand of conifers. A few low flames are visible between the trees. A creek bends through the foreground.
Trees and shrubs, some scorched, others green
A group of people gathered in a fuel break adjacent to sequoia trees to discuss fire and sequoia conservation
Images showing various treatments, accompanied by the following text: How to Burn a Forest (Intentionally) Prescribed burns are essential to protecting forests from megafires, scientists say. But you usually have to reduce the flammable fuels first. THINNING: Cutting down some trees and not others. Reduces forest density so it can be better managed by prescribed (intentional) fire. Suitable for landscapes with big "saw logs" that can be sold and for dense post-fire forests. Cost: About $4,000/acre or $15,000/day, depending on equipment. MASTICATION: A machine chews up vegetation. Another way of reducing fuel density before broadcast burns, especially with trees that can't be sold. Suitable for brushy landscapes. Costs cannot be recovered. Cost: $2,000-$3,000/acre. BROADCAST BURNS: Intentional fire that burns along the forest floor safely. Removes fuel to tame future wildfires. High-risk, because it can escape, and hard to schedule. Highest impact and provides greatest ecological benefit to forests. But often first requires thinning, mastication, or logging. Cost: $800-$4,000/acre. Also being affected by the current market. PILE BURNS: People with chainsaws cut down vegetation, pile it, and burn it. Low-risk and helps remove fuels, but many say it lacks the ecological benefits of broadcast burning. Cost: $800-$8,000/acre. Demand and a glut of funding have distorted the market.
Map of cultural regions of the United States. Source: map porn on Facebook. The area around eastern San Diego county, imperial county, and Yuma is labeled “Hellexico.”
No indication of Watch Duty's reported spot fire on this Cal Topo map.
Garnet fire operations map showing the northern fire perimeter along the southern edge of the Teakettle Experimental Area
Screenshot of Watch Duty’s map of the Garnet Fire with purple and blue areas indicating the PyreCast model’s predicted growth of the fire between 3:19 AM and 7:04 AM this morning.
Map showing the Garnet Fire area and the boundaries of Sierra National Forest closure.
View up into a big holly leaf cherry tree (in SoCal they usually grow as much smaller shrubs!) with lots of bright red fruit
Screenshot of a map of the Garnet Fire perimeter in Fresno County, California
Screenshot of Google notice: “An AI Overview is not available for this search”
iPhone weather app showing a current temperature of 91 degrees Fahrenheit, an expected high of 97, and a low of 66.
Map showing areas burned by prescription and wildfires over the past ~70 years near Grant Grove, Kings Canyon National Park
Screenshot of Facebook post from Badlanders LLC: August could be one of the most extreme climate driven fire periods for the North American continent. Long extended attack wildfires will be present and use every resource available. Stay ready Stay in shape be available [Image: a map titled “North American seasonal fire assessment, August 2025” shows above-normal fire risk for large areas of western Canada, northern US Rockies, US Pacific Northwest, California, Oklahoma, Texas, and Hawaii.]
Dear Leader Thune and Leader Schumer: On behalf of America's millions of hunters, anglers, wildlife professionals, conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts, we write to encourage you to keep federal public land sales out of the budget reconciliation bill. While we appreciate the desire to address federal land management challenges and respond to local community needs, we ask that any public land disposal be considered within transparent, public channels and that funding from sales be reinvested back into habitat and access. The reconciliation process does not provide the appropriate venue for these considerations. Our concerns are threefold. First, selling public lands through the reconciliation process bypasses critical public engagement opportunities provided under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and limits opportunities for hunters, anglers, recreationists and other stakeholders to engage in decisions affecting lands that belong to all Americans. Public participation is a cornerstone of FLPMA, ensuring transparency and accountability. We fear that curtailing FLPMA sets a troubling precedent for future land management decisions, and any approved land sales could be made that do not serve the public interest. Second, land sales through reconciliation would likely direct proceeds from sales to the general fund of the Treasury, rather than reinvesting funds in conservation programs that sustain our nation's wildlife, habitats and recreational opportunities. Federal lands have historically been a public trust investment, not a resource for general budgetary offsets, and the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) was permanently reauthorized in 2018 to collect receipts from appropriate BLM land sales and reinvest those dollars into projects that expand access and conserve habitat. Diverting sale proceeds away from conservation deviates from the deal struck by a broad spectrum of interest groups, and it would likely lower the (cont’d) —>
Screenshot of map showing Sierra National Forest lands that would be up for sale if the Senate reconciliation bill is approved.
Red and green engine’s parked on a meadow’s edge, ready to lay hose. Another beautiful sunny day in the Sierra, perfect for burning.
Satellite photo from Anousheh Kehar’s dissertation, showing a massive smoke layer covering most of California
Satellite image of southern California at night, from Calexico and San Diego to Santa Barbara and Visalia
Burt Stalter talking to a Kings River Conervancy group on his Choinumni family’s homelands. Burt mentioned that the thick riparian tree gallery in the background of this photo did not exist before the construction of Pine Flat Dam in 1954 — periodic flooding scoured the river’s edge and kept it pretty clean.
Table S1. Plant genera included in the model, with justifications for inclusion. Allium: Alliums produce large nutrient-dense geophytic bulbs that represent a potential year-round food source for bears Avena Camassia: Camassia produce large nutrient-dense geophytic bulbs that represent a potential year-round food source for bears Carex: Carex plants produce nutritious forbs during the green-up season and nutrient-dense seed heads during reproduction Prunus Quercus: Oaks produce large flushes of highly nutritious and calorie-dense acorns, generally during the autumn months Rubus: Rubus plants produce large flushes of nutrient-dense fruits between spring and fall, depending on the species and climate. They are eaten by black bears frequently in California and grizzly bears outside of the state. Vaccinium In addition to plants, we also modeled the distribution of cutworm moths (of the family Noctuidae). These moths have been shown to be important sources of protein and calories for grizzly bears in the Rockies, especially in high-elevation habitats [25], [53]. Lastly, we included Columbian blacktailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) and other mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), which are predicted to be one of the main natural mammalian prey for California grizzly bears. We did not include elk (Cervus canadensis), as elk populations are generally small where they occur throughout the state and do not occur in large numbers in two-thirds of our study’s potential recovery areas.
Screenshot from https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/redpower50.htm: The Military Prison The military prison at Fort Alcatraz held soldiers who broke army rules or committed crimes. The prison also incarcerated Native Americans. These included Paiute Tom, held for two days in 1873 before being shot trying to escape, and Kaetena, a Chiricahua Apache chief who rode with Geronimo. Other Native Americans imprisoned on the island included nineteen Oraibi Hopi elders from northern Arizona. They were arrested in 1895 for resisting federal policies that forced Hopi children to attend boarding schools where their hair was cut, they were forced to wear western clothes, and they were punished for speaking their own language. Many of the schools were run by Christian churches, whose teachings further eroded traditional culture.
Screenshot from the feasibility study at https://docs.calgrizzly.org/docs/CGA-Feasibility-Study-2025.pdf: “California Tribes could play a central role in monitoring and public engagement. The Karuk Tribe in upper Northern California, for example, has led restoration efforts of forestlands, including traditional burning practices, to recover elk populations while promoting traditional ecological knowledge and practices [84], [85]. In the past, Tribes have often been excluded from decision-making processes related to endangered species, including grizzly bears [86]. A monitoring plan that prioritizes tribal leadership, sovereignty, and resilience can help raise awareness of these painful histories while promoting healing through capacity building and economic development [87].”
Screenshot of the cover of the feasibility report, "Recovering Grizzly Bears in California," by the California Grizzly Alliance. The cover photo shows an adult grizzly with three cubs in an open forest area with small-diameter trees among grasses and white flowers.
Key tips to prepare for wildfire Home hardening: • Install or upgrade to fire-resistant materials on roofs, vents, siding, windows, and decks. • Clear debris from roofs, gutters, vents, and under decks. • Seal all cracks and openings larger than 1/8 inch to prevent embers from entering the home.
California poppies pushing out of a crack in the concrete on a sunny day
Classroom scene. Sara Fraser of The Nature Conservancy leads a discussion with thirteen SSBC participants.
A group discussing fiber optic network connections outside the “zombie bunker” at the Tribal Broadband Bootcamp
Text panel: Our Fire Kinship “Fire is our relative and will remain vital in our lives. Fire is embedded in our baskets, pottery, canoes; and legible in our oldest trees. We share a collective responsibility to shed the fear rooted in histories of fire suppression. Fire stewardship is part of tribal sovereignty and community well-being. Our communities must be fire-adapted and recognize that life is dynamic, relying on cycles of destruction and renewal. The land is an expression of how species evolved and behaved in response to past environmental conditions (such as fire suppression). Rekindling our kinship with fire will require us to collectively embrace paradoxes, fighting fire with fire. Fire Kinship restores fire as a generative element that tends to the land, ourselves, and our future generations.”
Selfie in my bright yellow rain parka. Friends from SSBC and the Sierra Resource Conservation District trudge on through the snow in the background, under snow-flocked oaks and conifers.
SSBC crew member tending a pile burn in a clearing in oak woodlands. Smoke from other piles in the background.
A table displaying sourberries, handgame sticks, redbud, milkweed, pruning shears, miniature, winnowing, baskets, bull pine nuts, an elderberry clapper stick, etc.
Smiling SSBC crewmember and her Nomex yellow shirt and green pants, standing next to a pile, she has just lit with a drip torch
Low flames crawling downslope in mixed conifer forest, Holkoma Mono ancestral homelands, southern Sierra Nevada. Photo by Jared Aldern, Sierra Sequoia Burn Co-op.
First page of the PDF provided at the link.
Benefits of Burning • Enhance the growth and production of plants • Promote growth of basket-weaving and cordage material • Enhance habitats for game birds and animals • Control pathogens • Increase water resources (depending on area • Safety, trail maintenance
Screenshot of CSU Channel Islands, Facebook post: “A fire has been reported on Round Mountain/Sat'wiwa and the campus has been ordered to evacuate. Please proceed to evacuate the campus and University Glen/ Ancapa Canyon immediately.”
Official-looking image of Smokey Bear with the caption in all caps, ONLY DECOLONIZATION CAN PREVENT WILDFIRES
Graphic with text: eaton fire land update (January 15, 2025)
That’s me in a yellow hardhat and Nomex shirt, blue bandanna, and safety goggles, with smoke and big conifers in the background. Selfie at a forest underburn in the southern Sierra.