Case Studies

WUIF works through case studies — close, sustained examinations of specific institutions, projects, and species navigating real conditions in real landscapes. We are currently developing three case studies touching on wildlife, fire, and water at the edge

  • “Of the 38 species of cats recognized around the world, 16 are in danger of extinction and another 7 have at least one subspecies facing a similar fate (Sunquist 1991).  Most wild felines have had their historic ranges substantially reduced due to conflict with humans.  Not bobcats.”  Hansen, Kevin Bobcat: Master of Survival (2007).  Why?

  • In every major California fire, information existed that could have saved lives — on scanners, in the field, among volunteers who knew how to read fire behavior. What was missing was an institution capable of curating that information with enough rigor to be trusted in a crisis. Watch Duty built that institution. How?

  • The small water company is one of the most elemental institutions at the wildland urban interface — embedded in the landscape, dependent on the watershed, governed by the people who drink the water. These systems sit at the precise intersection of source water, fire risk, infrastructure, and community.  How do the best of them work?