In 2008, Johns Hopkins University studied the effects of fertility rates following a catastrophe, specifically storms and hurricanes. What they found was interesting: depending on the severity of the storm, the fertility rates would increase. The response was highest with the least severe storms and would drop as the severity increased. To simplify, if a storm created homelessness, the number of babies born would drop, but if the storm was just bad enough to cause a widespread power outage, then a mini baby boom would follow. I would term it a "power outage baby boom."

So how is a hurricane baby boom relevant to our desert? The power outage baby boom isn’t restricted to the coasts; it can follow any power outage.

Similar to hurricanes, wildfires are named to help various agencies keep track of them. Following mild hurricanes, we see babies named after hurricanes. If my wife and I were to do this with wildfires, our three daughters would be named Clover, Murphy and East Slide Rock Ridge.

Which brings me to the 2005 Clover fire in the Jarbidge Resource Area. The fire burned 183,000 acres of grass and sagebrush over a few days in July of 2005. It also burned close to 200 power poles on the only power line to Three Creek. You know where this is headed: In 2006, our little community experienced one of these power outage baby booms.

The 2006 baby boom left quite a mark on our neighborhood. The school teacher at the time hosted a community-wide baby shower. It was probably the only baby shower in the history of the world with more pregnant women attending than non-pregnant women. Multiple couples came to Three Creek just to drink the water, hoping there was “something in the water” that would enhance their fertility. It wasn’t something in the water; it was something in the air – smoke.

There are good reasons that children celebrate their birthdays. We roll out the birthday cake, candles, noise makers and party hats for a birthday, but no one in their right mind celebrates their conception. As a father of four, I am somewhat familiar with the process, but I still feel icky contemplating the circumstances of my own conception. For this reason, I won’t be conducting any interviews and will allow the children of the fire to remain anonymous.

Let’s start with a little context. In the 2010 census (the census nearest the 2005 Clover fire), the federal government counted 72 souls in the Three Creek area. That count included eight women who were married and of child-bearing age. Following the Clover fire power outage, every woman of child-bearing age was pregnant. Why is this relevant 19 years later? Some of you just finished the math and had the aha moment. For the rest of you, the children of the 2005 Clover fire are all graduating from high school in 2024.

There is another phenomenon that is somewhat unique to Three Creek. A quirk in Idaho law allows for elementary school districts. There are a handful of remote schools that are their own school district and have no affiliation to any high school. Three Creek Joint Elementary School District 416 is one of these quirky schools. So the children of the fire are spread throughout the valley and beyond. There are two graduating from Castleford High School and one each from Buhl, Canyon Ridge, Filer, Kimberly and Gallatin (Montana) High Schools. These kids are planning their graduations and their futures.

Graduation is bittersweet for us in rural America. Like all parents, we send our kids into the world to gather skills and find their purpose in life. But young adults in rural America collect their skills somewhere else. Even the smallest college is bigger than where we call home. And the bright lights and big city are alluring with a seemingly endless parade of opportunities. The work isn’t as hard, the money pays better and the opportunities are handed to you instead of something you have to create for yourself.

The rural areas where you grew up need you to come home more than you might know. Your talents will have a greater impact on a rural community than they will in the city. How can rural America continue to shine if our brightest stars leave? There are multiple virtues to living in a rural area. Time is slower, life is simpler and it’s easier to keep an extended family intact. You can either nostalgically tell your children about the adventures of your youth, or you can come back home and watch your family live those same adventures.

To the children of the fire, go out and make your mark on the world, but know there is always a road that leads back home again. And if you ever feel lost or like you can’t find your way, just look to the horizon and find where the smoke is coming from. That’s where home is … and we will be here.