This past Second Saturdays event we focused on fire!  Fire has the potential to be a very destructive force, but it is also nature’s tool for renewal and maintenance/disaster prevention!  Visitors joined staff at the Ameal Moore Nature Center and learned that fire:

• Allows naturally flat and clear areas like prairies and chaparral to keep from being overrun with trees
• Provides fire-dependent plants the necessary heat for their seeds to release and germinate
• Limits pathogens and insects
• Burns leaf litter and other dead plant matter, allowing nutrients in them to release back into the environment faster than regular decomposition
• Can provide room for forest animals by thinning trees
• Burns dry materials periodically to prevent larger raging fires later

Visitors learned fire information, took the Smokey Bear pledge, received Smokey certificates, and made take home fire benefit booklets on key rings! 

If you missed out on this fun event, don’t worry! There’s always another event right around the corner!  Our next event will be the last of our summer evening Canyon After Dark series on August 25^th from 8-10pm.  Join us for a night all about canine senses!  Our next Second Saturdays program will be Saturday, September 9^th from 11-2pm on Grizzly bears!  Check out our EVENTS page for more upcoming events.