Hello, and welcome to my blog!
I’m Eric, a 33-year-old father of one daughter living in Montana’s capital city. I work as an educator for a nonprofit advocacy organization that serves people impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. I also work as an EMT for the local ambulance company, and I volunteer with my county’s search and rescue team.
I’m enrolled in the UMass Dartmouth Women & Gender Studies program with the goal of being a better educator, father, and partner. I look forward to interacting with you all.
While seeking inspiration for this blog, I found Journal of the History of Ideas, a collaborative blog with many contributors that explores philosophical issues from a variety of times in history. You can find their excellent blog HERE.
The JHI blog is a great model for me to use in my work because it is interesting to look at, has many interesting articles, and the writing is fantastic. Contributing writers do an excellent job of introducing a topic, explaining with the intent to educate, and supporting their arguments while citing sources.
I will not be collaborating with others in my work here on my page however, so I will not use JHI as a model in that aspect of this adventure.
In Montana, as in all Western states, wildfires are a significant cause for concern and wildfire management is a constant topic of debate. On average, Montana spends $30 million each year on fire suppression, with some years being far more extreme than others. Montana’s legislature created an excellent document that introduces the topic to anyone who may be interested.
Of course, we’re all keeping an eye on the news currently for updates about the wildland fires that have killed 28 people and made many thousands homeless in the Los Angeles area. Thankfully, Montana hasn’t seen a deadly fire to that scale, yet. As population increases in western Montana’s cities, we will certainly have instances of wildland fires destroying homes.
Hopefully, with respectful debate and continued conversation, Montana can be prepared for such incidents to the best possible extent.
Food for thought.
Until next time,
Eric.