Don Gayton Speaker Series: Fire, Ecology & the Okanagan Landscape
The Museum & Archives of Vernon, in partnership with the Okanagan Historical Society, welcomes acclaimed ecologist and author Don Gayton for a special presentation exploring fire, ecology, and our relationship with the Okanagan landscape.
We recognize that wildfire is a difficult and deeply personal subject for many people in our community right now. With evacuations, displacement, and the loss of homes and belongings affecting our neighbours across the Okanagan, conversations about wildfire carry particular weight.
This event is intended as a space for reflection, learning, and community support. In recognition of the ongoing impacts of wildfire, 100% of proceeds from the event will be donated to the Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) Wildfire Relief.
Presented as part of the Museum’s Hometown Histories speaker series, this presentation connects with the Museum’s current exhibition, Battling the Blaze: A Historic Look at the Frontline of Firefighting. Rather than focusing solely on firefighting and emergency response, the event invites us to consider the longer ecological history of fire in the Okanagan and our changing relationship with the landscapes we call home.
Drawing from decades of experience studying grasslands, forests, and fire ecology in British Columbia, Gayton will explore the role fire has played in shaping Okanagan ecosystems, how our understanding and management of fire have evolved, and what the history of fire can teach us about living with a changing landscape.
At a time when wildfire is affecting so many of us, this conversation offers an opportunity to listen, reflect, and better understand the place we share — while coming together to support those who have been most directly impacted.
Event Details
Date: August 22, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Location: Museum & Archives of Vernon (3009 32nd Avenue)
Tickets: $20
Beneficiary: 100% of proceeds will be donated to the Okanagan Indian Band
Register Here for Tickets
About Don Gayton
Don Gayton is an ecologist, educator, and award-winning writer specializing in fire ecology and the relationship between people and the natural world. He is the author of seven books of creative non-fiction, including The Sky and the Patio: An Ecology of Home, Man Facing West, and Okanagan Odyssey. His work has received numerous honours, including the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize and the Canadian Science Writers Award. His debut historical novel, Columbia Son, will be released later this year.
Gayton holds a Master’s degree from the University of Saskatchewan. His current passion is connecting ecology to creative writing, exploring how storytelling can help us better understand our relationships with nature and place.
He is currently working on a new book, Settler Stories, which examines our social indifference to the impacts of climate change and proposes creative ways to build new relationships with the natural world.
When he isn’t writing or researching, Gayton enjoys spending time with his four grandchildren, two dachshunds, and a backyard vineyard.
