Fire Walk With Us
“Fire Walk With Us” — A Fire Ecology Workshop with Richard Halsey and Lanny Kaufer
May 5, 9 am – 3 pm
Presented in association with the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy
$55 for adults
$45 for seniors 62 and up
$35 for OVLC members, students 13-18, and fire survivors (those who lost property in the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires)
Following his sold-out presentation here in February, chaparral ecologist and author Richard Halsey will return to Ojai to join Lanny Kaufer for a fire ecology field workshop on Saturday, May 5 from 9 am to 3 pm entitled “Fire Walk With Us” (with apologies to David Lynch’s 1992 film of a similar name).
The fire ecology workshop will now include a morning field trip on the property of architect John Davis whose self-designed fireproof home and guest house emerged unscathed by the Koenigstein Fire that started just above his property. Participants will learn about the unique design of the structures from the architect himself and tour the property to see how the chaparral plants are regenerating. After the morning walk in the burn area the group will reconvene at a downtown Ojai venue for a lunch break and afternoon slideshow discussion elaborating on the morning’s topics.
The cost for the full-day workshop is $55 for adults; $45 for seniors 62-up, and $35 for OVLC members, students 13-18, and fire survivors (those who lost property in the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires). Those who attend the full workshop will go home with a packet of valuable information on fire ecology basics including several of the lessons Halsey uses in his Chaparral Naturalist class. Most are in color. Admission to the afternoon lecture only is $25 for the general public or $15 for OVLC members.
Richard W. Halsey is a writer, photographer, and the director of the California Chaparral Institute, a non-profit research and educational organization dedicated to the preservation of California’s native chaparral ecosystem, helping communities understand the dynamics of wildland fire, and supporting the creative spirit as inspired by the natural environment.
The second edition of his book, Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California, available at the preceding link in the Herb Walks bookstore, was published in 2008 and was awarded the Best Nonfiction-Local Interest Book by the San Diego Book Awards Association. He will have copies of this and his other publications on hand for sale and signing.
Halsey also works with the San Diego Museum of Natural History, teaches natural history throughout the state, and leads the Chaparral Naturalist Program at the Elfin Forest Reserve in Escondido. While teaching high school biology, Halsey was selected as the Teacher of the Year for San Diego City Schools and awarded the Christa McAuliffe Fellowship.
An entertaining and dynamic speaker, he has given more than 400 public lectures, conducted numerous research projects, and published more than a dozen papers and articles concerning the ecology of California’s chaparral ecosystem. Halsey also has been trained as a wildland firefighter long past the age most would consider prudent.
About John Davis: Before receiving his master’s degree from UCLA, John studied architecture in England and Australia. Early in his career he worked for a number of prominent architects including Frank Gehry, where he began to understand architecture as a sculptural object serving as human shelter, in conversation with its site and social setting.
Major projects of his have included the renovation of a 30,000 SF building for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the restoration of a landmark modernist home by the architect H. H. Harris. For many years he was also on the faculty of the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, leading courses in architecture and the history of environmental design. More recently he has taught at Viridis Graduate Institute where he has led classes in the environmental humanities.
On moving to Ojai a decade ago, he re-focused davis brown architecture on residential architecture, with a particular interest in the natural setting. His work now enables him to continue this pursuit of the connections between building and landscape.
John works with architectural production associates, engineers and other consultants in Santa Barbara, Ojai and Los Angeles.
For more information, visit HerbWalks.com or call (805)-646-6281.
