STILLWATER, Okla. – Tribal landowners, producers and natural resource professionals are invited to attend the Prescribed Fire Workshop and Field Day to learn more about the benefits of prescribed fire and the safety of conducting a controlled burn.
This event will take place on Sept. 10 at the Okmulgee County Fairgrounds, 1901 N. Oklahoma Ave., Okmulgee. Registration is $20 per person and includes lunch. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. and workshops begin at 9 a.m. Call the Okmulgee County Oklahoma State University Extension office at 918-756-1958 or register online by Sept. 1. Participants will pay the registration fee the day of the event. Cash or checks only will be accepted. Walk-ins are welcome but lunch is not guaranteed.
Th eworkshopwillprovideattendees with critical training on the safe and effective use of prescribed fire as a land management tool, said Shelby Lofton, Oklahoma State University Extension educator, Okmulgee County. In addition to her role as the agriculture and 4-H Youth Development educator, she also serves as the Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program educator for Okmulgee County.
“This workshop addresses the growing need for tribal-centered fire education and the revitalization of Indigenous fire practices to improve land health, reduce wildfire risk and empower local producers,” Lofton said. “It also supports OSU Extension’s commitment to serving tribal nations through culturally relevant programming and resource access.”
Featured speakers from OSU Extension include John Weir, fire ecology specialist; Mark Turner, wildlife specialist; Laura Goodman, rangeland ecology specialist; and Miko Brandon, Chickasaw Nation senior watershed fire planner. Workshop topics include fire ecology, burning planning, grazing and wildlife benefits, safety, equipment use and how to form a prescribed burn association. A live burn demonstration will also take place, weather permitting.
“Prescribed fire is one of the most effective and sustainable land management tools we have. It can improve forage quality, increase soil health, control invasive species and open up overgrown areas that can’t be managed with regular equipment alone,” Lofton said. “While it doesn’t eliminate the risk of wildfire, regularly burned land often acts as a natural, helping protect nearby communities during wildfire events.”
This event focuses on tribal lands and ties directly to Lofton’s role in Extension. She said part of her work is to create programs that meet the needs of tribal producers and connect them to research-based resources through OSU and the College of the Muscogee Nation Extension program.
“Prescribed fire has been used by Native communities for centuries as a traditional land management practice, so holding this workshop on tribal land is both culturally meaningful and practical,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to bring that traditional knowledge together with modern fire science to empower landowners to care for their land safely and effectively.”
Participants will go home with a greater understanding of fire ecology, safety practices and how prescribed fire can benefit the land in practical, sustainable ways. They’ll also be encouraged to form Prescribed Burn Associations – neighbor-led groups in which community members come together to help one another burn.
The Prescribed Fire Workshop and Field Day is a collaborative educational event hosted by OSU Extension, the College of the Muscogee Creek Nation Extension, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and OSU’s Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management.
For more information, contact Lofton at 918-756-1958.
