Meet Alex Etkind, Prescribed Fire Project Manager

As the Prescribed Fire Project Manager, I provide planning, coordination, and implementation of beneficial fire. Through my work with the Guild, I help people understand their fire management options, and I facilitate the essential role of prescribed fire in forest stewardship. My background in wildland fire and forestry includes work with private landowners, land trusts, government agencies, and Indigenous nations. I enjoy the challenge of working with a wide range of people to achieve shared goals and I am excited to join the Guild in its work to increase the capacity for prescribed fire across all lands in New Mexico.

Prior to joining the Guild, I was the Fire Ecologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Southwest Region. In this role, I developed prescriptions for wildfire hazard reduction projects, led ignitions operations as a Firing Boss, and provided guidance as a Resource Advisor, ensuring that natural and cultural resources were protected during prescribed fires. After wildfires occurred, I monitored fire effects and evaluated the effectiveness of fuel treatments, incorporating this information to enable adaptive management.

Previous work as a forester and wildland firefighter with the New Mexico Forestry Division and as a project manager for the New Mexico Land Conservancy solidified my understanding of the challenges that lie ahead for the land and people of New Mexico. Additional experience as a consulting forester, wildland fire specialist, and prescribed fire contractor prepared me to facilitate partnerships between different stakeholder groups, set realistic expectations, and achieve meaningful outcomes. One of the most interesting things about being a prescribed fire contractor was learning from the wide range of people who use fire and beginning to understand the many different reasons why they burn. I learned that fire was not just a tool to be used for a single precise purpose, but also a restorative process with the potential to promote balance and abundance across entire landscapes.

Although I only recently joined the Guild, I have worked alongside Guild members and staff throughout my career. The steady presence of the Guild and its focus on both the land and people’s relationships with the land is what makes it unique. I feel grateful to work with an organization that provides the opportunity to combine my background in wildland fire, forestry, and ecology into on-the-ground land stewardship.