Greetings from What is California? HQ, where we’ve kept a close watch on coverage of the swift, severe arrival of fire season in California. After an eerily quiet August, this month has erupted with blazes across the state. And when we really want to know what’s happening—and what may yet happen—with a wildfire anywhere in California, we turn to Zeke Lunder and The Lookout.
Lunder is one of the smartest and most respected figures in California’s fire community, a fire pro turned web creator who interprets “fire intelligence” for a devoted audience on his blog and YouTube channel. His droll, no-frills, been-there-done-that approach cuts to the chase, making highly technical state wildfire data accessible to observers on the fire line and beyond. Lunder also showcases veteran firefighters in conversations and interviews, giving witness to the evolution of wildfire in California and its impact on those struggling year after long year to mitigate and contain them.
As fire crews battle conflagrations from Siskiyou to Riverside counties, and as state and federal officials struggle to keep up with prescribed burns, salary equity, and other policies to improve forest management and lessen the impact of wildfire, Lunder offers What is California? his expert thoughts on the state’s future with fire. I was particularly moved by his comments on the plight of wildfire evacuees—climate refugees in our midst, the first of a generation (at least) to come in California. And he had a great offering for his favorite Californian!
It was great to talk to Zeke, and I hope you enjoy the conversation.
Thanks for listening! Keep your eye on the bear! 🐻 ❤️
-Stu
Episode Notes
Zeke Lunder is the creator of the wildfire tracking resource The Lookout.
The lookout is kind of a safety blanket for the [fire] crew boss. It’s nice knowing there’s someone up on the hill who’s got your back. So we kind of want to have people’s backs in California, and be a calm voice on the radio when things are getting a little squirrely—to let them know, “Hey, you should get out of there. You don’t need to run, but something’s coming.”
Notes and references from this episode:
@wildland_zko - Zeke Lunder on Twitter
The Lookout - home page
The Lookout channel - YouTube
Episode 28: Lenya Quinn-Davidson - What is California? podcast
Episode 11: Jaime Lowe - What is California? podcast
Jim Klump: Wildfires, History, and the Simple Pleasure of Bullshit Stories - The Lookout, YouTube
Bring Your Own Brigade - documentary by Lucy Walker
#goodfire - Prescribed fire hashtag, Twitter
Climate, Weather, and Wildfire: Full Interview with Daniel Swain - The Lookout, YouTube
Episode 16: Daniel Swain - What is California? podcast
2017 Tubbs Fire - Wikipedia
Frank Zappa - Wikipedia
Jello Biafra - Wikipedia
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Produced, hosted and edited by Stu VanAirsdale
Theme music: Sounds Supreme
Twitter: @WhatCalifornia
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