NEXT GENERATION

Since 2010, the Fire in the Pines Festival has shared the “good fire” message with the Wilmington, NC community with fun-filled activities.

By Michelle Ly, The Nature Conservancy

The Virtual Fire in the Pines Festival – October 2-10, 2020

Without fire, longleaf pine ecosystems wouldn’t survive or exhibit booths with hands-on activities to engage attendees thrive. Neither would the incredible plants and animals that in the natural resources related to longleaf pine and fire. Fescall this landscape their home. Fire festivals are a great way tival-goers learn while enjoying live music, watching perto engage entire communities in the benefits of prescribed formers and jugglers, going on hayrides, and observing a live fire. In Wilmington, North Carolina, the Fire in the Pines burn. The most important component of FIP is that it is en-

Festival has shared this message since 2010. Originally known tirely free. There is no vending (besides food trucks). This as the Fire in the Lakes in the town of Boiling Spring Lakes, allows educational outreach to reach folks of all socioeconomic the festival was created for the community, by the community. backgrounds without any monetary limitations.

The first festival was a successful, but small, gathering around Launching FIP virtually was a challenge but necessary to 300 people. In 2014, the festival moved to Halyburton Park keep controlled burning a part of the virtual education platin the heart of Wilmington and became Fire in the Pines. form amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. A virtual FIP would

That year the attendance grew to 3,000 and has been growing not compare to our in-person festival but instead would take ever since! a new identity of its own. This was also an exciting opportu-

Fire in the Pines (FIP) is one of Wilmington’s most success- nity to expand our outreach outside of Wilmington to the ful educational festivals. As many as 45 local organizations whole longleaf range – from Virginia to Texas. { Many longleaf and prescribed fire advocates understand the importance of increasing public understanding of conservation and management. Still, we often lack the tools to engage one of our most captive audiences — KIDS! “While you’re in the grass stage” aims to inspire your inner educator by highlighting unique educational resources and activities from educators across the longleaf range. { [ 38 ]

Working with a professional film company was evident in the quality of the virtual festival videos. Photo by Brian Parr. Engaging kids virtually or in-person remains the top priority of the Fire in the Pines Festival. Photo by Brian Parr.

We worked with Hendy Street Produxions to produce a mini video series focusing on various components of the longleaf pine ecosystem with a grand finale video tying it all together. Investing in these videos was investing in a resource that could be shared in many different ways well into the future.

To engage folks alongside our video series, a scavenger hunt was created using iNaturalist. The scavenger hunt spanned across three counties highlighting natural areas where folks could visit and observe natural longleaf systems. One participant said, "I had a great time in our local parks. I had never looked much at our native plants. I have lived here for 25 years and had never been to Carolina Beach State Park. I spent several hours hiking there. Thanks for the whole experience. It was very educational."

Although we miss seeing our friends in person at Fire in the Pines Festival, our virtual festival was a success. The FIP Facebook page and videos continue to receive engagement online. We hope our videos can serve as an educational resource for many others to spread the positive benefits of controlled burning in longleaf. Visit fireinthepines.org for more information!