Day care and mud guards: How health officials are building a firewall against deadly burns

After the 2018 Camp Fire that tore through the town of Paradise, California, local residents are starting to rebuild. As of April, the town issued nearly 1,500 building permits. They’re also implementing a plan to remove trees that pose a safety concern for residents, which has been an extensive coordination effort between federal, state, and local government officials. Housing prices in the area have increased significantly making it difficult for some people to rebuild, but some organizations are working to help those that want to return to the area.

A group called Positive Coaching Alliance is training thousands of coaches and parents to change to culture of youth sports for the better, using a "relentlessly positive" approach, and trading out the win-at-all-costs ethos of professional sports for evidence-based, age-appropriate guidance to players.

As parents struggle to find quality, affordable child care, faith-based centers like Chicago's Little Muslims are stepping in to fill the gap for some families. The program, which is one of about 7,500 sponsored by churches or religious organizations across the country, serves students of any religion but is structured around Islamic needs and customs, including offering halal meat and marking Muslim holidays.

Indigenous women in British Columbia are leading the revival of cultural burning practices and integrating Indigenous knowledge into wildfire management. Organizations like the Salish Fire Keepers Society have led to policy changes and an increase in Indigenous representation in firefighting roles.

As rents in Madison, Wisconsin, skyrocket, alternative housing options are emerging. One such option is cohousing, a form of community living in which residents live in multiple units. One unit, Linden Cohousing, has 75 members living across its 45 units, enjoying not only affordable housing but also the community aspect of cohousing. Madison currently has four active cohousing communities, with more on the way.

In recent years, California has passed legislation making it easier for indigenous tribes to perform cultural burns, including one bill establishing a claims fund to protect landowners from the financial risk of any potential damage and another allowing tribes to enter state agreements that bypass typical permitting and regulatory requirements for cultural burns. The Karuk tribe is starting with backyard burns, using the practice as an educational opportunity to pass down traditional methods and knowledge.

Black-led summer camps and community programs are addressing the dual challenge of rising child care costs and lack of culturally affirming options for Black families. Programs like Camp HBCYouth and Camp Legacy offer affordable, comprehensive outdoor summer camp experiences, complete with meals and extended care if needed. The programs also act as community builders, helping youth form friendships and strengthen their connections to the outdoors.

In 2024, New Jersey passed a new law that formalized longstanding requirements that municipalities periodically submit affordable housing plans to the state. The law also created a new mediation program for municipalities that want to dispute the state’s calculation of its affordable housing requirements, and the new system has helped cut down on lawsuits that slow down the process of getting new housing approved.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Burke County Public Schools offered up classroom space to two child care centers whose facilities were extensively damaged in the storm. The partnership helped ensure care for about 170 children, keeping teachers employed and allowing parents to go back to work.

An all-women firefighting team in Ketapang, Indonesia, is stopping people from setting fires to clear land, a practice called slash and burn, and putting out the fires they can’t prevent. Arsonists often set fire to peatlands, which pollutes the air and releases stored carbon dioxide.