Chaparral Wisdom
To celebrate the magic and beauty of Nature & the chaparral
Save Lives or Treat “Fuel?”
Such devastating losses due to the 2017 wildfires are beyond tragic.
Forty-six people have died.
More than 9,500 structures have burned.
The community of Santa Rosa has been devastated.
Rescuers in Montecito are trying to find families buried in the massive wave of rock and mud that tore into the seaside town after heavy rains slammed into the mountainside above the community after its protective layer of chaparral was burned off during the Thomas Fire. The number of people killed in the mudslide has increased to 19. Some are still missing.
Such losses are unacceptable.
We respectfully ask the State of California to consider the following questions:
1. Why were so many homes burned despite the fact that most had complied with state fire codes when built and had reasonable amounts of defensible space?
2. Why did the vegetation clearance projects (fire breaks, prescribed burns, etc.) found in many of the burned areas fail to protect lives and homes?
3. Would the newly proposed vegetation clearance program by Cal Fire and the Board of Forestry, have prevented or significantly reduced the devastating loss of life and property during and after the 2017 Tubbs Fire, Nuns Fire, Atlas Fire, and the Thomas Fire?
Listing the Rare Refugio Manzanita as an Endangered Species
Today, we and our partner, Los Padres ForestWatch, submitted a technical request to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to add the extremely rare Refugio manzanita to the country’s list of endangered species. This manzanita species can only be found along a narrow ridgeline in the Santa Ynez Mountains between Gaviota and Santa Ynez Peaks. Listing the species as endangered would offer more protection from vegetation removal projects and development. More details below.
Santa Barbara, CA — Today, the California Chaparral Institute and Los Padres ForestWatch submitted a technical request to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the Refugio manzanita (Arctostaphylos refugioensis) as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). This rare plant can only be found in one place on Earth: along the Santa Ynez Mountain Crest between Gaviota and Santa Ynez Peaks in Santa Barbara County.
Discovered by botanist Roman Gankin in 1966 while he was exploring the Refugio Pass near Gaviota, the Refugio manzanita is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to approximately 15 feet tall. Like other manzanitas, its bark is a striking red color and its flowers are urn-shaped and white or pink. However, the Refugio manzanita, unlike many other manzanita species, only regenerates from seed rather than resprouting from the base of its trunk.
The Refugio manzanita is only found between 1,000 and 3,200 feet in the Santa Ynez Mountains between Gaviota Peak near Highway 101 and Santa Ynez Peak just east of Refugio Road. It has one of the most limited ranges of all manzanita species in the world. “This species is part of the rich and unique natural heritage that makes the Santa Barbara region so special,” said ForestWatch Conservation Director Bryant Baker. “It deserves to be protected.”
Very High Fire Hazard. They approved it anyway.
For those of us who experienced the 2003 Cedar Fire in San Diego, the comparison between it and the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa are striking. Below are before and after photos of Fountaingrove in Santa Rosa and Scripps Ranch in San Diego.
Unlike 2003, Google Earth has jumped right on the post fire images. It took them about 6 months to have images of the 2003 post fire scenes so all you get is mostly bulldozed lots. With the Tubbs Fire, the images of the charred homes are so clear its almost as if ashes are still smoking. Go to Google now and see the damage. It’s heart breaking. Below are some of those images.