Survivorship into Thrivorship with Ryan Reed

Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew KristoffStories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural and social empowerment and environmental integritySurvivorship into Thrivorship with Ryan ReedEpisode highlightIn this episode, Ryan Reed talks about how the younger generations are leading the way into the future with a move away from fire suppression and into fire generation to protect the environment.ResourcesRyan ReedFireGeneration CollaborativeFirefighters United for Safety, Ethics and EcologyON FIRE: The Report of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management CommissionModernizing Wildfire Safety and Prevention Act of 2024SponsorsCanada WildfireIndigenous Leadership InitiativeQuotes13.12 - 13.32: “We can't create something without including or… centering around Indigenous communities as… there are so many statistics that point towards Indigenous communities or management in the Indigenous hands really shows a profound impact… not only just for the landscape but for the communities who depend on those landscapes.”30.18 - 30.29: “It’s really to show other folks… how important it is to… know who you are and where you come from and how… important that is to be proud of that.”58.07 - 58.20: “We’re a generation that we’re proud to be Indigenous… and our ancestors never had that opportunity to be proud of who they are and so it’s a responsibility of ours… to carry on with that.”TakeawaysMeet Ryan Reed (02.33)Ryan grew up on Karuk land, but is from the Karuk, Hupa and Yurok tribes in Northern California, and grew up immersed in different ceremonies and traditional cultural practices. He cherishes and values being part of the country, the community and the ceremonies. He completed his undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon and is currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in Forestry at UC Berkeley.“The closest truth on earth is our ceremonies” (04.27)Ryan used to be a wildland firefighter for the US Forest Service but decided to step away from fire suppression. He is also honoured to be a Karuk medicine person who comes from a long lineage of medicine people. He grew into learning the role and significance of fire in his community to manage resources and ceremonies. He looks forward to rejuvenating and revitalizing cultural practices to share their benefits and uphold the responsibilities to the earth.Creating pathways for younger generations (07.25)Ryan translates policies with the help of colleagues and friends to help create space and awareness of how Indigenous peo