The Soda Fire Field Trip west of Boise took place on Friday, 18 May from 8:45AM until approximately 4PM. 

On 9 August 2015, thunderstorms moving through the Great Basin ignited a fire in southwestern Idaho, about 40 miles southwest of Boise. By the 11th, the fire had grown to 30,000 acres. When it was finally contained on 25 August, the fire had burned over 280,000 acres, making it the largest fire in the lower 48 States for 2015. This field trip will start near the fire's origin. Meteorologists from NIFC will describe the antecedent weather and fuels conditions as well as conditions during critical periods of rapid growth on the fire. Operational personnel who were on the incident will discuss the suppression challenges firefighters faced during the initial and extended attack periods. Subsequent stops will look at emergency stabilization and recovery efforts. Participants were able to see how the area is recovering as we enter the third growing season since the fire. An additional stop focused on the post fire fuel break implementation and the use of targeted grazing to protect the post fire recovery.

Tickets for the field trip were available during the meeting registration. Tickets were $50 and included the tour, transportation, and lunch.