Last weekend, more than 60 members of the Watch Duty team—reporters, radio operators, and volunteers—traveled from across the American West to gather in Sonoma County, where Watch Duty first began.
Together, we've spent countless nights tracking some of the most harrowing wildfires in recent memory. Many of us had never met in person until now—but that never stopped us. Like wildfire, we aren’t bound by jurisdictions or borders. We’re bound by a shared commitment to serve: our families, our neighbors, our communities and the lands that we call home.
The Internet has allowed us to be borderless and has given us the ability to be everywhere all at once. It has allowed us to collaborate, cut through the noise, spot wildfire signals to identify the threat, and deliver life-saving information when it matters most.
This photo captures more than a moment—it represents a community built on trust, dedication, and purpose. We are deeply grateful for every person who makes Watch Duty what it is.
But there’s also something that this photograph doesn’t capture – over 100 other team members who manned the radios while we were here. In many ways, they were here with us. Ever-watchful, ever-caring—the quiet guardians behind the scenes who look out for all of us. Though they couldn’t join us in person, their presence was felt in every story told and in every moment of reflection and celebration.
This team and the mission that we share extends far beyond those who gathered last weekend. It lives in every act of service, in each person who rises to meet the moment when a new ignition happens. Whether behind the screen of a Zoom call, a keyboard, or a radio scanner, their dedication is at the heart of this work.
Thank you for being a part of this extraordinary team and for helping to ensure that communities across the American West stay informed, supported and safe.
WILDFIRE ALERT: Residents of Washington in the Klickitat County area of the #NewellRoadFire be aware of a sudden increase in fire activity. Evacuation zones have been changed, see map: https://t.co/GuFufFZyr8
15-minute timelapse of the #NewellRoadFire illustrating the speed at which the fire is moving. Klickitat County/WA residents see https://t.co/lFi7Tclj4W for updates and be aware that conditions may change rapidly.
Visited Devil's Punchbowl, Oregon today and ended up calling 911 for a woman stranded at the base. Witnessed FD rope team response and Coast Guard helicopter rescue. If you see this, I hope you're okay and your pack didn't have anything precious in it!
Hey @elonmusk, it seems like it's no longer possible to have a Ukrainian number verify a Twitter account/two-factor authentication. Ukraine is not in your list of countries, see our screenshot.
It's vital for us to keep showing the world what's going on in our country.
If this is it for🐦, I hope to see you over on Mastodon.
This was the largest plane in the world, the Ukrainian aircraft Mriya ("dream"). She was destroyed by Russia. She lives on in spirit of defiance and is already being rebuilt.
📷Pavel VANKA https://t.co/4XNpKFgFi9
@USProgressives I normally agree with Progressives in just about everything. But this is a HORRIBLE take. The Russians are committing genocide during a colonialist invasion. They break every agreement they sign. Ukraine is a sovereign democratic nation fighting for freedom. UKRAINE DECIDES.