Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
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laurenstacho.bsky.social
Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
@laurenstacho.bsky.social
(they/them) Assoc Prof of Geography at Eastern Washington University | GIS, fire history, and teaching are my jam! Follow along on Instagram too @DendroGIS 🌲🔥🗺️🖖
Follow along to my Wildfire Activity Mapping course this term via the Google folder below! We started class this week and went over basics for course structure and field prep. The course materials will populate as I deliver them to my students each week! Happy mapping! 😎🔥🗺️
I’ve set up a public Google folder for the course that has the syllabus, and will update each week this term if you just want to follow along without enrolling for credit. There is a ReadMe file to check out too drive.google.com/drive/folder...
IntLevel-WildfireActivityMapping - Google Drive
drive.google.com
September 25, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
Our op-ed in the Santa Fe New Mexican today highlights the potential losses from closure of the nine US Forest Service Regional Offices, namely local leadership knowledge and capacity, experienced people, and priceless documentary records: www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_v...
The legacy lost when Forest Service offices shut down
After 117 years of operation, the U.S. Forest Service’s Southwest Regional Office in Albuquerque is closing by order of the secretary of agriculture. Since 1908, this office has directed the
www.santafenewmexican.com
September 7, 2025 at 1:48 PM
View of Lake Michigan from the Oak Leaf Trail on the south side of Milwaukee.
August 29, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
ICE is arresting contract firefighters on active wildfires.

This is especially significant for the fire workforce in the PNW because of the heavy reliance on contract workforce. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Federal agents arrest firefighters working on WA wildfire
Federal agents showed up northeast of Lake Cushman to check identification of crew members fighting Washington's largest active wildfire.
www.seattletimes.com
August 28, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
New Tenure Track Position in Data Science or Biostatistics with us here at MTU is live.

We have great people here in a fantastic location that is probably a lot cooler (temperature-wise) than wherever you live during summer!

www.employment.mtu.edu/en-us/job/49...
Assistant Professor, Environmental Data Science & Biostatistics | Michigan Technological University
Explore career opportunities at Michigan Technological University located in Houghton, MI. Browse and filter job listings to find the perfect fit and learn more about each position.
www.employment.mtu.edu
August 28, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
Tree-ring fire records from 649 pine trees in central and eastern Arizona show that fires occurred more often in the territory of the Western Apache, or Ndee, than in other regions between 1600–1870, suggesting a culturally controlled fire regime. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
August 18, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
New Mexico Magazine recommends THE JEMEZ MOUNTAINS by @firescar.bsky.social!
What to Read: The Jemez Mountains by Thomas W. Swetnam
Thomas Swetnam's new book explores the Jemez Mountains through memory, science, and story.
www.newmexicomagazine.org
August 13, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
Two years after a wildfire took everything, Maui homeowners are facing a new threat: Foreclosure.

grist.org/housing/two-...

#Hawaii #Indigenous #Wildfire #Maui #Foreclosure #Fire
Two years after a wildfire took everything, Maui homeowners are facing a new threat: Foreclosure
A Native Hawaiian mother’s fight to keep her family in Lāhainā despite soaring costs, mortgage limbo, and land-hungry investors eager to own a piece of Hawaiʻi.
grist.org
August 14, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
Thinking about the framing of this article and wondering how many historical and cultural sites and resources were inundated by this reservoir. How many communities did the lake destroy? www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...
New California dam removal could restore a river — and destroy a community
Residents of a remote Northern California lake are bracing for the loss of their vacation community with PG&E’s plan to remove two dams and drain a reservoir.
www.sfchronicle.com
August 14, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
The University of Arizona is hiring a tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor in Physical Geography! Research specialities could include wildfire, climate and water resources, and/or natural hazards, amongst others. Please apply and join us! arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...
Assistant or Associate Professor, Physical Geography (T/TE) (Updated)
Develop and maintain an active research program.Teach undergraduate and graduate courses.Develop advanced courses at the graduate level.Mentor and adv...
arizona.csod.com
August 14, 2025 at 6:10 PM
I’m teaching a GIS course Fall 2025 on wildfire activity mapping. This class will be offered through the Prof and Continuing Edu program at Eastern Washington University and you don’t need to be an EWU student to enroll! Email or DM with questions or if you’d like the syllabus!
August 14, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
I'm heading to #esa2025 and I am on the job market! Looking for academic positions at SLACs and PUI's broadly where I could share my love of restoration ecology with undergrads in the classroom and in the lab! Send me your leads, or learn more about me from my website

rpizza94.github.io/RileyPizza/
August 10, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Was on the Olympic peninsula last week for some fieldwork and took some time for exploring Rialto Beach and areas in the Quinault Rainforest.
August 7, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
Yep. "Floods follow fires" is now a maxim. A good IC/Liaison Officer/PIO will not only work the fire, but help the community understand & prepare for the future flooding.

Also, 3400 communities depend on national forests for drinking water & drinking watershed fires are some our most dreaded fires.
July 21, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Interested in fire history, GIS, and community science? My lab presented at WAGISA in Tacoma last month on our work at Riverside State Park using GIS as both a teacher and a tool for improving wildfire resiliency in communities and restoring natural fire regimes. Check out the slides below! 👇
July 20, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
The Turkeyfeather Fire in the Gila Wilderness, NM has burned as a low-severity fire over about 24,000 acres (so far). This is a continuation of a fire regime that existed for millennia before the 20th century. This 🧵reviews the fire history of the Gila, as my colleagues and I have studied it. 1/18
July 20, 2025 at 1:36 PM
I am a sucker for historical markers. I will pull over at ever single one. I have a goal to one day be involved in making one about fire or tree rings or GIS. 😅🤞
July 19, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Lochsa River in Idaho along the Nez Perce Trail.
July 15, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
Lots of interesting points in this story, but I want to highlight the commendable work of Kurt Kipfmueller (U of MN) and Evan Larson (UW Platteville) in applying their tree-ring based research in collaborative projects with Tribal Nations across the Great Lakes region. www.mlive.com/environment/...
More ‘good fire’ in Michigan restores Indigenous land practices
Indigenous people stewarded the land for millennia and using fire was among the ways they did it.
www.mlive.com
June 28, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Now that’s a u shaped valley!
June 26, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
More than 17,000 acres around the Klamath River in Northern California have returned to the Yurok Tribe, completing the largest landback deal in California history. When the California gold rush began, the tribe lost 90% of its territory despite having lived along the Klamath for millennia.
Yurok Tribe Celebrates the Largest Landback Deal in California’s History
The tribe says they will initiate restoration projects on the 17,000 acres taken from them during the gold rush.
buff.ly
June 5, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
🚀 Excited to share the draft Table of Contents for my upcoming book, "Introduction to GIS Programming: A Practical #Python Guide to Open Source Geospatial Tools." 📚

github.com/giswqs/intro...

📅 Aiming for a July 2025 release! Stay tuned!
June 4, 2025 at 9:04 PM
From the central cascades in WA, here’s my #FireScarFriday, a beautiful example of fire suppression. I’m holding the outermost curl in my hand, and pointing to earlier scars that are just a few years apart! It also appears to be a CMT with old cut marks along the face. A beauty!
May 23, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
“Prior to Friday night storms, at least 29 people—including two children—were killed during flooding in February and April. Combined, at least 47 have died in the commonwealth so far this year because of punishing storm systems that have wreaked havoc across Kentucky.” From @heraldleader.bsky.social
A tragic year for weather: Kentuckians reeling from three deadly storms in 2025
Three major storm systems that resulted in flooding and tornadoes have killed at least 47 Kentuckians since January.
www.kentucky.com
May 18, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by Dr. Lauren Stachowiak
Toxic wildfire pollution infiltrates homes of 1bn people a year, study finds

#climatecrisis
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Toxic wildfire pollution infiltrates homes of 1bn people a year, study finds
Dangerous indoor pollution could be tackled with air purifiers but costs are too high for many, researchers say
www.theguardian.com
May 14, 2025 at 10:02 PM