Season 3 | Episode 7 | Good Fire Podcast

In this episode of the Good Fire Podcast, hosts Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff sit down with Ryan Reed to talk 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.Quotes13.12 - 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 people can lead the way. Ryan is most proud of being the cofounder and program director of FireGeneration Collaborative, an organization that empowers marginalized and younger generations within fire policy with Indigenous leadership at the forefront to find climate solutions. They have spoken to government decision-makers to generate conversations and include youth. Living in reciprocity (13.33)Ryan’s life reflects the impact of living in reciprocity, and he works to bring Indigenous people and marginalized non-Indigenous people on the frontlines of the climate crisis or wildfire issues together to build a paradigm-shifting coalition. He has received funding and support to invest in creating spaces to change policies with younger generations who want to fight the discrimination and cultural erasure of Indigenous communities in the white male-dominated fire suppression world. “Enough is enough” (16.40)Ryan shares how his generation has decided to take matters into their own hands and look into the future, “not for just the generations, but also the non-human souls and entities we have on our landscapes”. Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology sponsors his work and