As another fire season rages across the West, two Flinn Scholar alums are examining the aftermath of the Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires that scorched the Grand Canyon’s remote North Rim a year ago.
Together, the two fires burned nearly 205,500 acres of public lands during the summer of 2025. Among the casualties: the 97-year-old Grand Canyon Lodge.
Sevigny: Options being discussed for North Rim
After the fires: Restoring the Grand Canyon’s North Rim
Melissa Sevigny (Class of 2005) lends her expertise in an article for the Grand Canyon Trust. Sevigny, a Flagstaff-based science writer and author of three nonfiction books including “Brave the Wild River,” takes a look back and what may lie ahead for the less traveled north side of the Arizona national park.
Three scenarios are being considered for the North Rim, Sevigny reports. The first is to rebuild what was lost, designed for a May-October season. A second scenario would make the tourist season year-round. A third option would also enlarge the park’s core footprint.
Aslan: Study of cactus could impact forest recovery
One tiny cactus could be key to understanding post-wildfire recovery.
Clare Aslan (Class of 1996), director of the School of Earth and Sustainability at Northern Arizona University, examines how a tiny cactus is helping researchers understand fire recovery. Aslan said the work will help the Forest Service understand which fire-burned areas need restoration work and which are better left to regenerate on their own. Aslan is also a 2017 Flinn-Brown Fellow.
From the article: “It’s not a plant many Four Corners visitors are likely to notice. Shaped like a tiny green hedgehog, the paradine plains cactus grows just an inch or two above the ground and could fit in the palm of your hand. In winter, when it’s cold and dry, the entire plant often recedes underground, lying dormant until warmer and wetter conditions return.”
More Scholars reading
Find a list of Scholar-authored items here.
During the 40 years of the Flinn Scholars program, alumni have written books, reports and poems ranging from personal memoirs to studies on Soviet-era music during the Cold War.