Lecture – Igniting Hope: Community-Driven Wildfire Restoration in the Sonoran Desert (at Mustang Library)
October 12 @ 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Igniting Hope: Community-Driven Wildfire Restoration in the Sonoran Desert
Discover how the Parsons Field Institute and dedicated volunteers are spearheading restoration efforts, replanting saguaros, and engaging students in the aftermath of the Scottsdale Diamond Fire. You’ll learn about the changing dynamics of wildfires in the Sonoran Desert, how invasive plant species impact the ecosystem, and what you can do to support the preservation and restoration of our desert ecosystem.
Mary Fastiggi is the Parsons Field Institute Restoration Manager at the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy. She has an interdisciplinary background, with research experience in both natural science and social science focused on environmental resource management and protection. She has an M.S. degree from the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, where she focused on urban resilience strategies to mitigate climate change impacts and to address urban stressors at the city scale. Additionally, she received a B.A. degree from the Natural Science department at University of Michigan in 2013. She has 15 years of experience designing and implementing both citizen science and environmental education programs, including working with volunteers on habitat restoration projects, fauna monitoring, phenology observations, invasive species removal, and urban green infrastructure projects. She has published in peer-reviewed journal articles on invasive species, restoration, urban resilience governance, and sustainability practices. At the Conservancy, she manages restoration and invasive plant species projects and experiments, contributes to regional communication and community engagement, and works closely with our citizen science program leadership and volunteer teams to implement our projects.
