Join us on June 25 for a virtual book release of "Fire Ghosts," a collection of photographs and essays about the massive Las Conchas fire in 2011. During this special event, you'll hear from the contributors to the book and have a chance to ask questions about the fire, the Jemez Mountains and the effort to document its aftermath.
In the summer of 2011, in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico, near Bandelier National Monument and Valles Caldera National Preserve, a falling power line sparked a wildfire that spread at a rate of an acre per second and engulfed 158,753 acres of forest. From their home in Santa Fe, 30 air miles away, photographers Philip Metcalf and Patricia Galagan watched what came to be known as the Las Conchas fire burn day and night for more than a month.
“Fire Ghosts” features images by Metcalf and Galagan, who spent seven years after the fire photographing the areas of the Jemez Mountains most impacted. The book also includes essays by environmentalist William deBuys, PhD., author of eight books, including “A Great Aridness: Climate Change and the Future of the American Southwest,” forest ecologist Craig D. Allen, PhD., who has spent his career studying the Jemez Mountains with the U.S. Geological Survey and Katherine Ware, curator of photography at the New Mexico Museum of Fine Art.
The visual chaos of the burned forest, at first disturbing and daunting, pushed Metcalf and Galagan to look harder and see differently. As they did, they began to see a new beauty in this highly altered forest. “Fire Ghosts” is both an ode to the old forest, while through its photos and essays also examines the formation of new ecosystems in the face of accelerating climate change and increasingly devastating wildfires all over the world. It explores the idea that new forests will never be the same, but they do recover and we can still find beauty there.
Event Details
WHAT: Virtual Book Release Party of “Fire Ghosts”
WHEN: Thursday, June 25, 6 p.m. MT (5 p.m. AZ)
WHERE: Online from your computer or smartphone. Find the log-in information here.
CONTACT: No RSVP required. For questions, contact Emily Wolf at ewolf@npca.org
Join us to learn more about the complex relationship between forests and fire in our changing world, and the impact of the Las Conchas fire on Bandelier, the Valles Caldera and New Mexico’s unique Jemez Mountains ecosystem.
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