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The Women Firefighters Protecting Our Forests

Profiled in The National Forest Foundation’s, “Drawn to Flame: Women Forged By Fire.”
Lacey England
Rappel Crew
Lacey England flew in a helicopter nine times before she ever had to make a landing in one. That’s because for those first eight flights she took, she got her feet back on land by rappelling to the ground as a member of Montana’s Gallatin Rappel Crew.
Molly Day
Fire Prevention
The Stanislaus National Forest in California isn’t just Molly Day’s passion—it’s her life’s work. She’s devoted her career to the forest, first as part of an engine crew, then as a squad boss of an elite hotshot crew, and today in a fire-prevention role.
Sara Knapp
Hotshot Crew
Sara Knapp is the Assistant Superintendent of the Bitterroot Interagency Hotshot Crew in Montana. She’s been fighting fires for 18 seasons and enjoys sharing her hard-earned knowledge of safety, leadership and fire culture with the next generation of wildland firefighters.
Shelly Allen
Management Officer, Smokejumper
Shelly Allen, the Fire Management Officer for the Tahoe National Forest, worked for many years as a smokejumper, where she learned leadership skills that serve her well today: “Jumpers are expected to be leaders, expected to manage situations and see the big picture.”
Podcast
Wild Ideas Worth Living
Lacey England thought she'd be a doctor. Instead, she rappels into fires.
If you had asked me as a kid, I wouldn’t have said, “Oh, I can’t be a firefighter because I’m a girl.” It just wasn’t even an option. I didn’t even know it existed. I had never seen female firefighters. No one ever told me it was an option.
REI Partners with the National Forest Foundation
to Make Our Forests Better
Whether you know it or not, the places where you most often recreate are likely national forests and grasslands, and they need to be protected. In fact, seven in 10 Americans live within a two-hour drive of a national forest, and that proximity makes them vitally important to our connection to the outdoors. That’s why REI has donated $1 million in 2017 and is committed to donating up to $1 million in 2018 to the National Forest Foundation. By investing in trail maintenance and recreation, we are investing in our forests’ future.

We're grateful for the efforts of the National Forest Foundation, and the tireless work of everyone who protects our forests.
Stewards of our Forests:
The National Forest Foundation
Chartered by Congress as the nonprofit partner of the U.S. Forest Service, the National Forest Foundation works to enhance our national forests. “We take pride in being the only national conservation nonprofit focused solely on national forests and grasslands,” says Mary Mitsos, president of the National Forest Foundation. “We work every day to restore these lands and connect all Americans to the benefits they provide.”
The National Forest System’s 154 national forests, 20 national grasslands and one tall grass prairie makeup 193 million acres, more than double the total area of America’s 59 national parks. “Visitors find vast wildernesses, legendary rivers and fascinating landmarks across the National Forest System, often without the crowds they’d encounter in our national parks,” Mitsos says.
Help Protect Our National Forests and Grasslands
The REI donation to the National Forest Foundation was made possible by the REI Co-op Mastercard®. With every purchase made on the REI Co-op Mastercard®, REI makes a donation to the National Forest Foundation.* That partnership and donations from people like you can help make our forests better.
Learn more about the partnership    Learn more about the REI Co-op Mastercard®

Disclosures:
* This year, REI will donate $0.10 per REI Co-op Mastercard purchase transaction made to the National Forest Foundation, up to $1 million. Non-Purchase transactions, including cash advances, convenience checks, balance transfers, and other advance transactions as defined in the Cardmember Agreement, as well as interest charges and fees, do not qualify. Transactions posted in late December of the current year may be applied in the following year. REI may change the benefit or named charity in future years. REI is solely responsible for making the donation.

The creditor and issuer of the REI Co-op Mastercard® is U.S. Bank National Association, pursuant to a license from Mastercard International Incorporated.

© 2018 U.S. Bank
© 2018 Recreational Equipment Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Federal land management agency participation with REI in “Women in Fire” does not by direct reference or implication convey federal agency endorsement of REI’s products or activities.
Interested in learning more about what's affecting the future of life outdoors?
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