Beer and water may not have an obvious connection. However The Nature Conservancy provides a reminder that if you celebrate October with beer, remember to give a nod to the forests that make that beer possible!

The SERPPAS Steering Committee met for their fall meeting in Atlanta on September 9-10, 2019. The purpose of the meeting was to continue to move forward with the implementation of the 2018 – 2020 Strategic Plan through prioritized work group actions and use of the SERPPAS Good Map. The Steering Committee and work groups are encouraged to use and further refine the new SERPPAS layers within the REPI Map to communicate priorities and enhance their work across the region. The Steering Committee also endorsed the planning of the next SERPPAS Principals meeting in Beaufort, NC in May 2020, celebrating 15 years of the partnership, engaging the SERPPAS Principals and continuing to move the strategic objectives forward.

Researchers at NC State University and North Carolina State Park officials are conducting a survey on perceptions of wildfire, prescribed fire, and smoke in North Carolina. Survey data will be used to improve education about those topics, and survey takers may enter to win a North Carolina State Parks Family and Friends Pass. Please consider giving your input, especially if you live in NC!

OK-FIRE is an online interactive tool for wildland fire managers in Oklahoma. This fall, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension will host several free workshops to help wildland fire managers learn how to use OK-FIRE. These workshops will include presentations and computer lab exercises that allow participants to gain hands-on experience using OK-FIRE. The workshops are free but require registration.

In a new 20-minute video titled Into the Black, Southern Exposure films highlights prescribed fire in Alabama, including its benefits and the many partners who make it possible.

The Fire Frequency Tool 2.0 is now available on the Consortium of Appalachians Fire Managers and Scientists website. The tool is used with ArcGIS, and was developed to evaluate a fire's cumulative impact in order to facilitate decision-making in targeting successive prescribed fire application.

The Environmental Protection Agency's "Exceptional Events Guidance: Prescribed Fire on Wildland that May Influence Ozone and Particulate Matter Concentrations" document release came out on August 8, 2019. This document is intended to assist air agencies in preparing demonstrations under the Exceptional Events Rule pertaining to prescribed fires that influence Ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM) concentrations. The EPA has also issued guidance to states to assist them in developing plans under the EPA's Regional Haze Rule. Slides from a webinar held on September 10 giving an overview of its Guidance on Regional Haze State Implementation Plans are available.

A new podcast, Good Fire, covers the ways that "good fire," or prescribed fire is used by indigenous groups. While focused primarily on Indigenous People in Canada, the podcast also covers other areas and highlights many issues relevant to the Southeast.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has awarded more than $6.3 million in twenty-four grant awards through the Longleaf Stewardship Fund. The grants will support conservation work across the longleaf range and together are expected to establish nearly 11,000 acres of longleaf pine forest and improve 305,000 additional acres. Much of this new work will include the application of prescribed fire.

Texas Longleaf Implementation Team Coordinator - The Texas LIT is seeking a coordinator to lead the partnership. Applications will be accepted until a suitable candidate is found.

Veterans Fire Corps - The Student Conservation Association is accepting applications from post-9/11-era US military veterans for its Fire Corps internships. Additional information and the application portal can be found on the program website.

Fire Ecology Internships - The Fire Ecology Program at Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy in Tallahassee, FL seeks to provide field and laboratory experience for college students and recent graduates in the areas of plant ecology, ecosystem ecology, and fire ecology and science. Most internships last 12-16 weeks and are largely fieldwork based. Summer interns work from May-August and Fall interns work from October-December.  Get full details and application instructions here.