Grand opening set Nov. 12 for new wildfire exhibit at Idaho Museum of Natural History

At the grand opening, the Bureau of Land Management and Pocatello Fire Department will have their fire engines onsite. In addition, the Museum will have hands-on fire craft activities and participants can take a selfie with a Smokey Bear cut-out.

Idaho residents have all had experiences with wildfires – from minor instances such as haze or smoke, to the loss of homes in more devastating cases.

The IMNH’s newest exhibit “Living with Fire” explores fires in Idaho. Wildfires are a natural part of Idaho's arid landscape. For as long as forests and grasslands have covered the earth's surface, seasonal fires have consumed, renewed and shaped them. Plants and animals of our region have adopted ways to live with fire, but changes to fire frequency and the ever-expanding human population into wild spaces bring new challenges.

“Living with Fire” looks at how Idahoans have dealt with this force of nature, from the Great Idaho Fire of 1910 to the Charlotte Fire in Pocatello a century later.

IMNH is open six days a week, closed Mondays. IMNH is located at 698 E Dillon St in Pocatello, and complimentary parking is provided for patrons in the General Parking Lot 01. For more information call (208) 282-3168 or visit www.imnh.isu.edu.