The Role of Media in Wildfires

2025-12-16

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"When people see fire only as destruction, we miss the opportunity to understand it and to prepare for what's coming next." Notable Moments [00:01:19] Using photography to educate the public [00:02:50] Recognizing public land employees as serving the country [00:07:23] First experience photographing wildfire at night [00:10:29] Importance of wildfire training for media [00:16:14] Benefits of documenting fires from inside incidents

"When people see fire only as destruction, we miss the opportunity to understand it and to prepare for what's coming next."

Notable Moments

[00:01:19] Using photography to educate the public

[00:02:50] Recognizing public land employees as serving the country

[00:07:23] First experience photographing wildfire at night

[00:10:29] Importance of wildfire training for media

[00:16:14] Benefits of documenting fires from inside incidents

[00:29:56] Why media access on public land matters

[00:39:23] How wildfire scale has changed over a decade

[00:44:56] Advice for making an impact as a park leader

As wildfires grow in scale and impact, understanding becomes a form of preparedness. In parks and conservation this sometimes means letting people see what's really happening, even when it's uncomfortable. Stuart Palley has spent more than a decade documenting wildfires across public and urban lands. Our conversation explores how media can educate the public when done responsibly, the importance of safety training for photographers, and why transparency on public land fires matters.

Resources

www.parkleaders.com

https://parkleaders.com/about/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theparkleaders/

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