The Mid-Columbia chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon presents “The Science Behind the Eagle Creek Fire Response” on Thursday, May 17, with Steven Sobieszczyk, hydrologist with the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The presentation will take place in Building One, Room 1.354 in the Columbia Gorge Community College, 400 E. Scenic Drive, The Dalles.
Within days of firefighters’ gaining control of the fire in mid-September 2017, scientists and specialists were dispatched to investigate the extent of the damage. Members of a U.S. Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team explored the impacted area to assess potential threats to human health and safety, concerns for damage to property, and potential impairment to natural or cultural resources, including the likelihood of future hazards like flooding and landslides.
Sobieszczyk was part of the BAER team which explored the impacted area to assess the potential long–term effects of the fire a trainee.
Sobieszczyk will share his insights into the results of the BAER analysis, i.e., the science behind the Eagle Creek fire response.
Sobieszczyk is a hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey. He has degrees in landslide engineering geology and geographic information systems (GIS). He began his career with a brief stint at NASA before moving west to model landslide and seismic hazards in northern California.
