Original Source: www.castanet.net
In the heart of Kamloops, Alexis Stowards (BNRS Hons ’24), a wildfire researcher, enriches her journey by reconnecting with the ancient dance of fire and nature. Her passion ignited at just 17 in Williams Lake, B.C., as she became a junior firefighter, immersed in the fierce beauty and camaraderie of battling blazes. Through hard-fought battles against wildfires, especially during a monumental season in 2017, Stowards unearthed an insatiable curiosity about fire’s vital role in our ecosystems, prompting her to pursue a degree in natural resource science at TRU.
Stowards’ honours thesis intertwined fire history with the sacred land of the T?ilhqot’in Nation. In the untouched splendor of the Nemiah Valley, she discovered centuries of fire stewardship, reliving history as Indigenous community members identified significant events through tree samples. “Each tree is a history book,” she reflects, emphasizing the importance of understanding fire’s legacy to navigate future climate challenges while restoring fire to the landscapes that depend on it.
Now advancing her education as a master’s student under Dr. Jill Harvey, a Fire Ecology expert at TRU, Stowards fuses tradition with research. Her current project delves into the bond between fire and soapberry, a culturally significant plant for the T?ilhqot’in Nation. Through innovative fire practices, Stowards aims to reintroduce fire in a way that honors tradition while exploring the effects on soapberry’s growth and nutritional content.
For Stowards, this research signifies a profound journey to rediscover and validate Indigenous fire management practices that once thrived. She emphasizes the harmony found in ancestral methods, saying, “Our ancestors coexisted with fire, vital for ecosystems, from pollinators to large mammals.” She believes TRU is ushering in a new era of fire research, uniting Indigenous wisdom with modern science to better prepare future generations for living with fire.
Stowards’ bond with the land runs deeper than research; it’s interwoven with her family history in the Nemiah Valley, where her grandparents thrived amid the T?ilhqot’in people since the 1970s. She provides a vivid evocation of its untouched beauty, noting that no place quite compares. Stowards and her husband Jeremy dreamt of making the valley their permanent home, and upon aligning their visions, they pursued opportunities that would anchor them to the land.
As the Tin Towh (woods) coordinator with Xeni Gwet’in First Nation, Stowards weaves her academic pursuits into community aspirations. Engaging with Elders, youth, and local leaders, she ensures her research aligns with historical fire practices that were suppressed during colonial policies. Stowards actively pushes for public education around cultural burning and its role in wildfire prevention, hoping for a future where communities can embrace these practices with local support and pride.
The article highlights Alexis Stowards’ journey as a wildfire researcher at TRU, emphasizing her unique approach to blending modern science with Indigenous knowledge of fire management. Through her experiences and research, particularly in the Nemiah Valley, she reveals the rich history of fire stewardship among the T?ilhqot’in Nation. Stowards’ work underscores the need to respect and reintegrate ancestral fire practices as a means to enhance ecological resilience against climate change while fostering cultural connections to the land.
Stowards’ journey is a harmonious blend of education, research, and cultural rediscovery. By leveraging her experiences and community leadership roles, she aims to restore traditional fire management practices that honor Indigenous history and adapt to current environmental challenges. As TRU stands at the forefront of this integrative approach, the future of fire research and land stewardship looks promising, driven by a deeper understanding of our shared ecological heritage.
