Geography alumna Annabelle Law (B.A. '24) debuts her first published work, Cultivating (Bio)Culture with Fire, with a moving photo essay in Langscape Magazine. Drawing from her senior thesis research and participation in the North Fork Mono Tribe’s cultural burns at Jack Kirk Preserve in California’s Sierra Nevada, Law explores how intentional fire practices foster ecological renewal—and nurture cultural and communal ties.
Her reflective imagery and narrative highlight how burns help regenerate basketry materials like sourberry and redbud, while ceremonies led by Elders invite deep connection with land and tradition. Participants—from Tribe members to students and restoration practitioners—gather in shared rituals and work, forging both natural abundance and social resilience through fire stewardship.
As California grapples with conflictual views of fire—often seen only as destructive—Law’s essay offers a powerful reframe: fire, when guided by Indigenous knowledge, can be a source of healing and abundance, renewing both ecosystems and communities.