Midcoast Aububon, Camden library to host Zoom talk on pyrocene Feb. 15

Mid-Coast Audubon is continuing its nature talk series with a presentation on pyrocene. Shown is a California fire. David Govatski photo

Mid-Coast Audubon is continuing its nature talk series in partnership with Camden Public Library. The upcoming event, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, will take place virtually via Zoom.

David Govatski, a naturalist and author, will discuss pyrocene, a term used to describe the human use of fire and how it impacts the planet. The term was first coined in 2015 by Stephen Pyne of Arizona State University.

This program will describe how humans first harnessed fire and eventually switched to burning fossil fuels. Forest fire ecology, zombie forests, prescribed fire, fire weather, and related topics also will be discussed to better understand the ecological implications of a planet that seems to be on fire, according to a news release from Will Brussard of Mid-Coast Audubon.

This event is free and open to the public.

Govatski, a naturalist and author, retired after working for the U.S. Forest Service for over 30 years. He served as a fire management officer on a national interagency incident management team for eight years. Govatski’s first job in the Forest Service was as a fire lookout on the Devil’s Head Lookout on the Pike National Forest in Colorado. He worked on the Redmond Hotshot firefighting crew on the Deschutes National Forest in Oregon and worked on numerous large forest fires, including the 1988 Yellowstone fires.

For registration details visit midcoast.maineaudubon.org.