Forest and Friends

​Setting the date for the next Forest and Friends for August 22nd, at 4:30-7pm at Cascadia Pizza in Bellevue.  It feels like summer is already over in the Pacific Northwest, with rain in July and August!  The stories of perpetual rain were supposed to deter tourists and folks moving here; they were supposed to be myth!  This unusual summer has been good from a forests and fire perspective, with the Pioneer fire on Lake Chelan, Swawilla in Collvile, Big Horn Fire near Bickleton, and Retreat near Rimrock the big action to date this year in Washington.  If you’ve heard of any of those it was probably the Pioneer fire as it approached Stehekin – and the smokeblog has been quiet with only high-altitude smoke on a few days so far on the westside.

​Outside Washington the early season fires in New Mexico and Texas were notable and the ongoing Park Fire in California making headlines on size and speed of spread.  And of course north of the border they’ve had another bad fire year including the dramatic action up in Jasper.  The local mild-pocket of relative calm is temporary; we’ll all (re)learn how to live with fire soon enough.

​We have options and perhaps more importantly, another opportunity to claim the patio and talk climate with friends!  If you are on the eastside between 4:30 and 7pm stop by Cascadia Pizza Co (https://www.cascadiapizzaco.com/bellevue) and say hello! We’ll be geeking out, enjoying the taplist, menu, and talking Forests, AI, Carbon, and/or startup life here at the start of 2024. I'll be wearing a hardhat and cruising vest – feel free to walk right up and join our table.

Please join us for a pizza and pint to talk about our climate!