The National Park Service has received $263,000 in federal funds to help with damage from May’s devastating Springs Fire in Ventura County. The fire burned 28,000 acres, including more than 10,000 acres in NPS territory.
The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) funds address impacts in safety, recreational and ecological areas that occur after a fire. The Springs Fire cost $10 million to fight and almost 2,000 crew members to fight the flames.
Some of the BAER funds will be used to eliminate weeds and grass that are fire-prone and spread rapidly after a fire.
The funds will also be used to repair trails and replace signage like at the Santa Monica Mountain trails. After the Spring Fires approximately 100 volunteers helped rebuild trails at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in Newbury Park. The Santa Monica Mountain Trails did not fully reopen until late June.
“Frequent fires were not the norm in Southern California,” said David Szymanski, superintendent of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. “Historically, areas would burn every 75 to 100 years. The impacts from the Springs Fire will continue long after the fire is out.”
The Springs Fire also “burned largest contiguous natural habitat for wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains, including sensitive species such as the California newt, coast horned lizard and coast patch-nose snake,” burned two watersheds at La Jolla and Sycamore Canyons and “more than 150 archaeology sites were impacted by the fire,” according to NPS.
More BAER funds are expected to be received after the next fiscal year begins on October 1.
