EcoCultural Fire Crew
Join TERA’s EcoCultural Fire Crew to put good fire on the land with us!
As part of the Lake County EcoCultural TREX, TERA's on-call EcoCultural Fire Crew works to return cultural burning and prescribed fire to the traditional lands of Lake Miwok, Pomo, and Wappo people.
The EcoCultural Fire Crew is open to participants of all skill levels and backgrounds, and is an opportunity to learn, teach, build relationships and community while putting good fire on the ground. This is a volunteer crew, with stipends available to Tribal members upon request.
EcoCultural Fire Crew members will be notified of burn windows as they arise throughout the season (October through June) and can sign up to participate on dates they are available.
Applications are now open and will be accepted on a rolling basis.
All those interested in the EcoCultural Fire Crew are also encouraged to apply to participate in our EcoCultural Fire Trainings here.
Fire Crew FAQs
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Anyone is welcome to participate in the EcoCultural Fire Crew, whether you are new to good fire or have experience.
Qualification as NWCG Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2) or higher is recommended, but not required.
Priority for burn participation will be given to:
Tribal members from Lake, Mendocino, and Sonoma Counties;
those who have participated in one or more of our EcoCultural Fire Trainings;
and those with significant fire experience who can serve in mentorship roles.
EcoCultural Fire Crew members will be invited to sign up for burns based on these priorities, and depending on space available, not every crew member may be invited to every burn.
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No prior experience or training is necessary to join the EcoCultural Fire Crew.
However, we highly encourage (but do not require) all those interested in participating on prescribed and cultural burns to work towards their Firefighter Type 2 qualification and participate in our Tactical Fire Training.
Learn more about our upcoming trainings
Some burns that are part of the Lake EcoCultural TREX may require FFT2 qualification to participate.
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Yes! As part of the Lake EcoCultural TREX we offer a number of fire trainings.
Learn more about upcoming EcoCultural Fire Trainings and how to apply.
All EcoCultural Fire Crew applicants are strongly encouraged to apply to participate in our Tactical Fire Training (September 30-October 1), regardless of your experience level. This training is important for learning, sharing, and sharpening skills at the beginning of our burn season as well as building relationships among EcoCultural Fire Crew members and the staff of Tribes, organizations, and agencies participating in the Lake TREX.
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Yes, this is a volunteer crew, with stipends available to Tribal members upon request. If you are a Tribal member who needs a stipend to participate, please let us know in your application.
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Members of our EcoCultural Fire Crew are strongly encouraged to participate in three or more burns throughout the season (October through June).
Once you sign up for a burn, we ask that you make a firm commitment to attending that burn for the full day (and night patrol if needed and possible for you). No-shows may be removed from the EcoCultural Fire Crew and not invited to future burns.
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Once you have applied and are accepted to the EcoCultural Fire Crew (ECFC), you will receive an email from a TERA staff member for each burn where we have space for ECFC members to sign up.
Due to the large number of people who sign up for the EcoCultural Fire Crew, not every member will receive an invitation to every burn.
The email from TERA staff inviting you to sign up will contain a link to a Google Sheet that serves as the roster for that burn. You MUST ENTER ALL INFORMATION directly into the Google Sheet roster to ensure your spot on the burn.
Email requests to TERA staff to add your name to the roster will not be accepted.
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- 100% natural fiber clothing or nomex (long sleeves + work pants REQUIRED)
- Vibram sole fireline boots OR 100% leather workboots REQUIRED
- 100% leather gloves
- Eye protection (sunglasses OK)
- Hand tool if you have one
- Fireline hard hat (we will have some in limited supply to borrow)
- 1+ gallon of personal water and snacks.
- Backpack
TERA will distribute a hardhat, eyewear, and gloves to any burn participant. Tools will be distributed to squads after the morning briefing according to what squad you are a part of. We highly appreciate if you are able to bring your own PPE or tool.
REMINDER: These tools are for loan only. Even on two-day burns, you are REQUIRED to return all PPE and tools you checked out for the day.
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“TERA has facilitated a beautiful, safe and regenerative space for the Indigenous community to come together and reclaim our connection to how we steward with fire. I constantly recommend TERA's TREX program to friends, colleagues and family! TERA has established a visionary model for building capacity in the realm of Indigenous stewardship and Cultural Fire and it's beyond exciting to see what the future holds as a result of this work in the community and how it ripples out to the rest of Turtle Island. ”
Evan-Marie Petit, Eastern Cherokee Descent, EcoCutural Fire Crew Member
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“My experience has been meaningful and expansive. I am a prescribed fire practitioner in Sonoma County and yet I'm happy to trek over the mountains to work with the crew at TERA whenever possible. What I appreciate most is the depth of perspective and skills that are present in the crew and instructors, and how this depth is carried through all aspects of our work. Each burn and training is more than the prescription or the textbook, it is the community and land being brought together in a powerful way."
Miles Sarvis-Wilburn, EcoCultural Fire Crew Member, LandPath
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“TERA is an amazing organization offering a one of a kind program for anyone interested in learning about land stewardship, from participating in their trainings to being apart of their EcoCultural Fire Crew, I can always know we together are doing the good work. Opportunities they provide have helped me reach new boundaries beyond my imagination, I have found a love for fire, team-building, leadership and being a productive crew member anywhere I go. I’ve watched knowledge be passed down with care and respect from presenters and partners, it shines through in all participants truly displaying the long lost memory of stewarding the land with fire and reveling in the resurface of these practices."
Autinayea Alveretta Bommelyn, Tolowa Descendant, EcoCultural Fire Crew Member
EcoCultural Fire Trainings
The Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance offers a series of trainings as part of the Lake EcoCultural TREX to support our community in safely and effectively implementing prescribed and cultural fire.
Our trainings focus on learning about good fire through an EcoCultural Stewardship lens.
Many of our trainings also support building NWCG qualifications for fireline positions.
Those wishing to join the EcoCultural Fire Crew are strongly encouraged to apply for one or more of these trainings.