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Amanda Monthei

@amonthei.bsky.social
2.1K followers 277 following 155 posts

Writer, communicator, creator of Life with Fire Podcast. Mostly writing, talking and thinking about wildfire resilience and land stewardship. www.amandamonthei.com

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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
I love working in fire because I can show up to some random fire camp and run into someone I vaguely recognize before figuring out that they floated my crew off a fire on the Middle Fork Salmon in 2017 and gave me Oreos after two weeks of MREs and I nearly cried with joy.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
stateline.org/2026/08/04/w...
stateline.org
Wildfire veterans fear federal tactics, extreme fires could put crews at risk • Stateline
As millions of acres burn across the western United States, some wildland fire veterans are fearful that aggressive fire suppression tactics ordered by the Trump administration — coupled with extreme,...
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Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 01/07/2026
Judge hands down 50-year sentence to defendant Ines Soto, whose wife Elizabeth was sentenced to same prison term
theguardian.com
Seven more sentenced to prison over protest outside Texas detention center
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
The death of 3 firefighters in Colorado is yet another tragic reminder that our ability to suppress wildfires is completely outmatched by conditions on the ground. These landscapes have changed, and humans simply can't contend with wildfires fueled by climate change, beatle kill & high winds.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Hey fire nerds, any of you coming to Missoula for the Forest Ecology conference next week??
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Murphy Woodhouse @murphywoodhouse.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
An important idea I've heard from @amonthei.bsky.social is "unsuppressability." Many are possessed of the VERY mistaken notion that all wildfires CAN BE suppressed. But 4 a select few, there is no technology on Earth that can stop them. Humility is part of the path out of the wildfire crisis.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Massive atmospheric river heading towards the PNW this week, bringing a half inch of rain a day to some areas and up to five inches of rain total in places. These types of storms destabilize slopes that are susceptible to landslides, which includes slopes that have been destabilized by fire!
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Murphy Woodhouse @murphywoodhouse.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
Great interview with @riverselby.bsky.social on her new book HOTSHOT, which is now very much on my list. Follow @amonthei.bsky.social’s Life With Fire if you are interested in thoughtful conversations about wildfire.
podcasts.apple.com
Braiding The Personal with the Ecological, with HOTSHOT Author River Selby
Podcast Episode · Life with Fire · 10/17/2025 · 1h 9m
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Was talking to a groups of 50-ish year old women at a concert last night. They asked what I did and I told them about my wildfire work. One went “OH! I just read a series of *spicy* novels about hotshots! I learned so much about firefighting from it!” Is smut an underrated form of #scicomm? lol
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Murphy Woodhouse @murphywoodhouse.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Thank you @amonthei.bsky.social for a very thoughtful conversation about the north rim situation. If you care about our terrible relationship with fire and getting more good fire on the ground, this is the podcast for you. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
podcasts.apple.com
The Social Contract of Managing Fire with Stephen Pyne
Podcast Episode · Life with Fire · 07/17/2025 · 45m
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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Medical debt shouldn’t ever be a thing in a developed country. No other Western industrialized nation has it.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
My Roman empire is that some version of the headline below could happen in almost every county in the US right now if it experienced a disaster. We need to sit with that and then figure out how to do better—quickly. abcnews.go.com/US/hard-hit-...
abcnews.go.com
Hard-hit Texas county had no flood warning sirens despite years of discussions
State and local officials in Texas have come under scrutiny over the lack of sirens in place to warn people of impending flash flooding.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Anyone know where to find smoke data or live-ish prescribed fire/wildfire maps for (northern) Spain? Was great weather for burning today and I biked by at least two sizable burns, was hoping to find more info about them!
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
I just finished up a month-long podcast series (supported by @fireaside.bsky.social), all centered on Community Wildfire Resilience. My approach to this conversation was to start as big as possible—with community resilience policy in California—and end at the community/implementation scale.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Due to DOGE cuts, RIFs and early retirements, the Forest Service has lost 1600 red-carded individuals and five complex incident management teams (the teams that manage the large, complex incidents that you see on the news) ahead of what is expected to be an active wildfire season.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
The home insurance crisis is coming to a town near you. Reporting by @murphywoodhouse.bsky.social! www.boisestatepublicradio.org/politics-gov...
boisestatepublicradio.org
A home insurance crisis is building in the Mountain West. State leaders are struggling to respond
Homeowners insurance is getting more expensive and harder to keep. Lawmakers in our region introduced more than a dozen policy proposals in response this year.
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Lee Klinger PhD @suddenoaklife.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
Center for Biological Diversity (@biologicaldiversity.org) recently published an opinion piece: "‘Active management’ harms forests — and it’s about to get a whole lot worse." Given that this article has considerable bearing on my profession, allow me to offer a different point of view. 🌎🍁🔥🌳
therevelator.org
‘Active Management’ Harms Forests — And It’s About to Get a Whole Lot Worse • The Revelator
Forest management approaches promoted as “resilience,” “restoration,” “fuel reduction,” and “forest health” often degrade natural systems and reduce carbon stocks.
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Jim Whittington🔥 @jimwhittington.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
One reason the feds aren't discussing the situation & planning with state/local resources is because they aren't allowed to do so. Seeing it all laid out in this article is bracing. We are already well behind the curve & stand no chance of getting ahead of the 2025 fire year. Prepare accordingly.
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Jim Whittington🔥 @jimwhittington.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Still amazed that these two maps are not making more news and generating more public comment. Especially given the intentionally degraded capacity of the federal wildland fire service.
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GrumpyUncleSean🔥 @grumpyunclesean.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
New paper alert -- Gavin Jones strikes again! Key findings: • Fire-driven complete loss of mature forest habitat in California is possible by 2100 under 'business as usual'. • Active forest restoration could slow or reverse trends of mature forest loss. 🧪🌍🔥
sciencedirect.com
Collapse and restoration of mature forest habitat in California
Mature and old-growth forests provide critically important ecosystems services and wildlife habitats, but they are being lost at a rapid rate to uncha…
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Julia Tellman @j-tell.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
A powerful piece by @amonthei.bsky.social about the daunting future of natural disasters.
open.substack.com
Reality Check: We're On Our Own
Thoughts on preparing our communities to lose federal funding for disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Something I think about a lot: We will never be able to prevent wildfires. Sorry, we just won't. Humans on the whole have dumb and sometimes malicious tendencies. It's well past time to accept this reality, from coast to coast, no matter how "at-risk" your community is.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
My staunchly conservative father—who used to call me a treehugger for ordering a salad at dinner—is now talking about food dyes and GMOs. Consider this a strong indicator that RFK's messaging has reached the last offline holdouts in the rural Midwest.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Just noticed I have two new podcast reviews. It's all about balance!
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Murphy Woodhouse @murphywoodhouse.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Here is the statement that I just got from NIOSH on the status of the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer, perhaps the most ambitious effort to date to understand the firefighting-cancer connection. This is a huge deal.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Who wants to come on Life with Fire to talk about the policy/capacity/infrastructure limitations of Trump's plan to increase logging on public lands? Would also love to get some input on what we actually *should* be worried about with that USDA memo so we can be more targeted than "STOP LOGGING!"
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
A local conservation organization is promoting a book club that's preparing to read a Chad Hanson book. I've already sent them an email telling them this is embarrassing. Now considering a covert book club infiltration to subtly espouse the benefits of active management for forest health.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
just want to shout out the one guy in Arizona who listens to all of my podcast episodes religiously the day they come out and immediately messages me his thoughts about it. Robert, if you follow me here, just know you're keeping this ship afloat my man.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
New Life with Fire episode is live today! I spoke with Collin Haffey—the @wadnr.bsky.social Post Fire Recovery Program Manager—about all things post-fire, including the common gaps that communities face in effectively recovering from wildfire. Listen here: lifewithfirepodcast.com/episodes/aft...
lifewithfirepodcast.com
Ep. 73—After The Fire with Collin Haffey
Today’s episode is all about post-fire—how to plan and prepare for post-fire challenges like debris flows and landslides, how to recover at a community and landscape scale, how to maintain a love of p...
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NFFE Local 34 @nffe-local34.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
We’ll see you out there.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
I just want to draw attention to the catastrophic ice storm in Northern Michigan right now. My family lives there and they are nearly out of gas to fuel their generators. Temps in the 20s tonight, in the teens tomorrow night. Power outages expected for at least another week.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
“Understanding each other and the land is the gift that fire gives us.” -Opening remarks from the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria at the CA Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force meeting today.
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Cyrus Farivar @cfarivar.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Hey #wildfire folks: come join us for this great talk tonight at 6pm PT. Zoom link : bsky.app/profile/weat...
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Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
For those not able to make it this evening to my wildfire and climate talk in San Rafael (apparently the venue is at capacity!), the event organizers have arranged for a Zoom livestream of the event as an alternative. See below for details. us06web.zoom.us/j/81...
us06web.zoom.us
Launch Meeting - Zoom
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.
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Emily Dolhansky @emilydolhansky.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Attending my annual pre-season IMT meeting and one sentiment has been made extremely clear: the chaos that is being wrought on the federal workforce is creating a barrier to national preparedness. It’s already March. Big yikes.
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Kampf mit Kette @kampfmitkette.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
"Time to get a real job!" -People who don't know what a hydrologist is.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
If you or someone you know was a federal employee who was recently fired, I encourage you to apply to this opportunity to rest and reset in a truly incredible place along the American River between Placerville and SLT in CA. Dates available through the end of April. wildfireresilience.center
wildfireresilience.center
AWE Reflect, Reset, Reignite Retreats
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Murphy Woodhouse @murphywoodhouse.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
Knowing what the weather is and might do are 2 of the most essential pieces of information for managing wildfire and staying safe on the fireline. The FIRST of the 10 standard firefighting orders is literally: “Keep informed on fire weather conditions and forecasts.” www.denver7.com/news/state-n...
denver7.com
Some express concern as 'hundreds' of NOAA, NWS employees across the country are laid off
Hundreds of weather forecasters and other NOAA employees were fired Thursday in the latest round of layoffs by DOGE, a move officials said will likely cause needless deaths.
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Cam Walker @camwalker.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
This is from a week ago, but a good listen if you want to understand the impacts on wildfire response of the Musk/ Trump cuts to federal employees.
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Jim Whittington🔥 @jimwhittington.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
Let me say it again: If profit is your primary driver, safety cannot be your number one concern. 13/
Hotshot crew gearing up next to vehicles parked in a sagebrush field highlighted against a large amount of ground level smoke.
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Jim Whittington🔥 @jimwhittington.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
IMTs are quietly talking about what the current political environment means for this year's wildland fire suppression efforts, but it deserves a larger and more public consideration. 1/
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Sarah Finger @skylineprintworks.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
My favorite sign from the protest today
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Felt good to go make some noise today.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
Whew, been a busy weekend, happy to get this quick episode out to explain how these federal cuts will impact fire response this summer. Give it a listen at the link.
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Public Land Lover 🦋🌲🦬 @publiclandlvr.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
“What is going on is an attempt to make it so that our public land management can’t accomplish the goals we all want, in order to make it easier to divest these lands” www.outdoorlife.com/conservation...
outdoorlife.com
Feds Fire 4,400+ Public-Land Employees, Including Forest Service Workers, National Park Staff
Massive layoffs at the Department of the Interior included thousands of U.S. Forest Service and National Park employees.
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Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
This comment on r/fednews really stood out to me. Trump and Musk want people to think they're firing do-nothing "bureaucrats," but they're really getting rid of people dedicated to serving this country and keeping it operational. I hope these stories get told.
I lost my job. USDA Forest Service.


My probation was up next week.


I did everything right. I took a GS-7 role with a master’s degree just to get my foot in the door. I spent years doing seasonal fieldwork for low pay, working in remote places, gaining experience, and building skills, just for a chance at a permanent position. I was about to be a GS-9. I wrote NEPA reports. I conducted field surveys. I worked fire support. I dedicated myself to this work because I believed in it.


Public lands don’t manage themselves. The wildlife, watersheds, and forests we protect don’t just stay protected without people on the ground making it happen. My coworkers and I took on that responsibility, often in places most people never think about but that matter more than they know.


And now? Just like that, I’m out.


Edit: I’ve consistently supported progressive policies and have voted Democrat in every national and local election since I was 18. I do appreciate folks asking, I have some coworker having a serious 'leopards ate my face' moment right now.
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
📣Hey journalists who want to cover the 3400 federal employees who just got fired📣 I’m developing a list of folks who were fired and who are down for interviews, primarily trails, river rangers and some folks who did collateral fire duties as needed (as of right now). DM me if you need sources!
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Amanda Monthei @amonthei.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
I resent that people are saying it's just "desk jockies" who were fired from the Forest Service. No. These were field techs and timber markers and people who served on militia fire crews as a collateral duty. They're also the people that keep IMTs running. Logistics, comms, planning, READs etc.
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