This May, Dominick DellaSala was part of a team of researchers and citizen scientists conducting field surveys on the Stanislaus National Forest within the world-class (biodiverse) Sierra-Nevada region of California.

The trip was on the site of the Rim Fire, California’s third largest in recent history, that burned in 2013 over 250,000 acres bordering Yosemite National Park.

What they found was an ecosystem teeming with life, new growth, and diversity, not a barren wasteland.

Read more about Dominick’s walk on the wild side here.