In November 2022 the Confluence Lab partnered with Coalicion Fortaleza and Our Family Farms to lead a fire resiliency and map-making community workshop in Oregon’s Rogue Valley. The 2020 Almeda Fire impacted the Rogue Valley/Jackson County area profoundly, and local nonprofit organizers invited a Confluence team to the area for an afternoon of inter-organizational reflection, information sharing, and map making. The resulting maps of organizations and county resources will be completed and digitized by a Confluence graphic designer at the University of Idaho and given back to local Rogue Valley organizations to help with their future fire resiliency planning and messaging. ​ Read more news from this event.

You can purchase their book published by University of Washington Press later this spring. Book Description: As wildfires rip across the western United States and sea levels rise along coastal cities from Louisiana to Alaska, some people nevertheless reject the mainstream scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change. What leads people to doubt or outright denial? What leads skeptics to change their minds? Drawing from a rich collection of interviews and surveys with self-identified climate change skeptics (and some former ones), sociologists Kristin Haltinner and Dilshani Sarathchandra delve into the underlying dynamics of climate skepticism in the United States. In probing how ideas about science, religion, politics, and media affect perceptions of climate change, they find a far greater diversity of attitudes and beliefs than one might expect—including some pro-environmental views. With this nuanced understanding of climate change skepticism, Inside the World of Climate Change Skeptics offers much-needed insights on improving communication in ways that can move us toward a better future while advancing environmental policies with widespread political support.

Listen to the full episode.

Stories of Fire: Online Exhibition Series project spotlight: Every word, every image, every memory of wildfire carries a story. And we're working to collect and share them! Our lab, in conjunction with the University of Idaho's Prichard Art Gallery , is seeking creative, visual works for an online exhibition series, Stories of Fire . Part One, Ground Truths seeks to showcase creative works engaging on-the-ground perspectives and firsthand experiences of wildfire’s presence (or threat of presence) in the Pacific Northwest. Artists & designers may be residents of the states of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, tribal sovereign nations of the region, or any artists responding to fires within the Pacific Northwest. read more Our central premise is that the tools of the humanities and arts—especially those related to storytelling, representation, emotions, and communication—are important complements to scientific knowledge and can help develop novel approaches to environmental issues. We use the creativity generated through interdisciplinary and community-based approaches to partner with diverse communities on pragmatic projects that work toward more just, sustainable, and equitable futures, focusing especially on issues such as public land use, wildland fire and fire management, and the causes and effects of climate change. our primary goal who we are The Confluence Lab engages in creative interdisciplinary research projects that bring together scholars in the arts, humanities, and sciences, together with community members, to engage in environmental issues impacting rural communities. thanks to our research partners & affliates: College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences College of Natural Resources College of Art & Architecture lab stories & news Mapping Fire Recovery in Oregon's Rogue Valley Dilshani Sarathchandra and Kristin Haltinner featured on Vandal Theory Podcast, Episode 5.2 Teresa Cohn featured on Vandal Theory Podcast, Episode 3.3 read more

Part of the larger Stories of Fire Atlas Project , Where There Is Smoke is a crowd-sourced digital map that documents experiences of wildfire smoke in the Pacific Northwest and further afield. Once built, the map will serve as a spatial and temporal nexus of images and stories connecting the smoke in the air to the historical, social and ecological conditions and pre-conditions of fire on the ground. Through the inclusion of many voices, Where There is Smoke will highlight how changing climate and increasing wildfire are impacting communities across seasons and topographies and cooperatively build a greater understanding of how fire and fire management intersect with environmental justice. ​ Help build the map. Contribute your Smoke Story. ​ ​ This project is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s “Just Futures ” Initiative . COMING SOON explore the Where There is Smoke... website! This map is part of The Confluence Lab’s Pacific Northwest Stories of Fire Atlas Project. Next

Stories of Fire: A Pacific Northwest Climate Justice Atlas Erin James, Jenn Ladino, Teresa Cavazos Cohn, Stacy Isenbarger & Leah Hampton funded by Mellon Foundation Just Futures Inititative 2021 - present Every word, every image, every memory of wildfire carries a story. A story of fire engages our deepest emotions and asks us difficult, sometimes painful questions. In the Pacific Northwest, our wildfire experiences also overlap or contradict each other, complicating how we relate to our neighbors and to our changing landscape. Faced with so much complexity, we often simplify or suppress important stories. Traditional maps, media coverage, and even our personal conversations about wildfire can be limited or miss key connections. Stories of Fire is a community-sourced project that hopes to reimagine our shared wildfire story and future fire resilience. The project is divided into three parts: Community Workshops, with online tools Digital Art & Design Exhibitions , and Stories of Fire: A Pacific Northwest Climate Atlas, a book atlas that will gather and interconnect narratives, maps, and community resources. ​ Using storytelling, visual art, and unique, nontraditional maps from across the region, the Confluence Lab will seek a wide variety of voices as contributors to each part of the project, foregrounding social and environmental justice and traditionally underrepresented rural perspectives. Confluence Lab members Erin James (English), Jennifer Ladino (English), Teresa Cohn (Human Geography), and Stacy Isenbarger (Art + Design), in partnership with local communities, are the primary leads on Stories of Fire. Our in-residence fellow, Leah Hampton , will write the narrative backbone of the book atlas. Artists and Designer Call NOW OPEN for Stories of Fire Digital Exhibition Series: Ground Truths. This Atlas is one of a suite of projects under the umbrella of the University of Oregon’s Pacific Northwest Just Futures Institute for Racial and Climate Justice (Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, $4.52 million). The Institute will create a regional network that works toward racial and climate justice through pedagogical and community engagement initiatives. ​ Learn more about this project. ​ Funding for this project made possible from generous grant from the Mellon Foundation’s “Just Futures ” Initiative for the Pacific Northwest Just Futures Institute for Racial and Climate Justice , University of Oregon. Confluence Community Workshop: ​ Mapping Fire Recovery in Oregon's Rogue Valley In November 2022 the Confluence Lab partnered with Coalicion Fortaleza and Our Family Farms to lead a fire resiliency and map-making workshop in Oregon’s Rogue Valley. The 2020 Almeda Fire impacted the Rogue Valley/Jackson County area profoundly, and local nonprofit organizers invited a Confluence team to the area for an afternoon of inter-organizational reflection, information sharing, and map making. The resulting maps of organizations and county resources will be completed and digitized by a Confluence graphic designer at the University of Idaho and given back to local Rogue Valley organizations to help with their future fire resiliency planning and messaging. ​ Read more news from this event. Next