Spotlight: Stephen Matera’s Fire & Regeneration

Seattle-based photographer Stephen Matera has maintained a cabin in Washington State’s Methow Valley for over 20 years. He was deeply saddened to witness two consecutive years of record-breaking wildfires in the area. Also, he used his experience as a photographer to document the devastation caused by the fire and the community’s recovery and rejuvenation efforts.

Fortunately, Stephen’s cabin was not burned in the fires, but many were not so lucky. In July 2014, lightning strikes caused four fires that merged to form the Carlton Complex Fire. The largest in Washington’s recorded history, the blaze destroyed more than 300 homes.

The following year, multiple fires started due to lightning strikes. These fires merged and created the Okanogan Complex Fire, which burned over 300,000 acres. This fire surpassed the Carleton Complex Fire and became the most destructive fire in Washington’s history. Stephen visited the affected area over the next two years, taking pictures of the land during all four seasons. Also, he worked with the Methow Conservancy, a local environmental advocacy group, to learn about the fires and how the community dealt with them.

Stephen realized that photographs alone were insufficient to tell the story he wanted. He decided to create a film to be shown in conjunction with the images. The Methow Conservancy aided Stephen with his research of the area and put him in touch with Fernne Rosenblatt, a landowner whose 450 acres of forestland and two houses burned in 2015.

Stephen spoke with Fernne at length, learning her story and relationship to the land. It turned out she had been coming to the area with her husband for years, and her cabin had become a cornerstone of her extended family’s ecological education.  

Fernne’s husband passed away shortly before the Carlton Complex Fire. The memorial service occurred just ten days before the blaze. Since experiencing these personal losses, Fernne has remained a staunch advocate for the land. She helped enact a conservation easement on a large swath to prevent commercial development and keep the area natural. Fernne also assisted with the fire cleanup efforts and plans to rebuild her cabin this spring.

Despite all the destruction, Stephen sees a silver lining to the fires. Forests have a way of regenerating on their own, but many of the areas used to fight the fire disturbed this natural process. With the help of the Methow Conservancy, the community planned a “seed mob:” an event where over 100 people gathered together to clear some of the burned brush and plant indigenous seeds to help restore the area. 

Stephen felt heartened to see the community come together to care for the land. 

The Methow Valley is a diverse mix of rural landowners, recreationalists, tourists, farmers, and ranchers. They don’t always have the same goals for the valley. But the fires have brought these disparate groups together towards a common goal of recovering and protecting the valley.

Stephen primarily pursued this series as a passion project. Despite being a full-time freelancer with two kids living four hours away in Seattle, he found the time to work on it. The Methow Conservancy is currently the end user of the project. However, Stephen intends to pitch it to conservation groups and magazines in the future, recognizing the value of his creation.

See more of Stephen’s work on his website.

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