On July 10th, Matt Butler discusses the history of Priest Lake fires and examines how they have contributed to evolving ideas about managing forest fires over time. Recently retired as Fire Management Officer for the U.S. Forest Service on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Matt helped curate the new exhibit “Out of the Smoke” for the Priest Lake Museum. He is recognized nationally as a fire behavior analyst and fire management historian. He argues, “You look at the late 1880s through 1925, you look at a fire history map, most of the area that is in North Idaho was touched by fire.” Matt will explain how that has changed over time.