It has now been about 6 months since we all gathered in Kelowna. With over 370 delegates, this was the largest WFC conference yet. Thanks to all who attended, presented, sponsored, or performed at our event – we were thrilled with the turnout and energy! Most importantly, we believe it fulfilled the primary conference objective – to bring together the wildfire management, research, and stakeholder communities, including First Nations and municipal government representatives, to learn about each others’ needs, challenges, and emerging solutions.
We are pleased to note that this event generated a modest surplus; some of those funds have been used to produce videos developed from presentation footage. The videos are still being completed, but we hope you’ve seen the presentations page, which contains links to most presentation videos (available to attendees) and presentation documents (PDF); note also the links to the posters and photo gallery. Some of the surplus funds were also donated to the Canadian Fallen Firefighter Foundation as well as to develop bursary opportunities and starting funds for the next WFC conference.
Speaking of which – we’ve received notice that the next conference will be held in Ontario, in spring 2019! Many more details will be shared in the coming months and years from the co-hosts, Ontario MNRF and the Canadian Forest Service-Great Lakes Centre.
For our part, it’s been a pleasure!
Signing off –
-Dan, Kendrick, and the rest of the WFC2016 organizing committee.