October 4, 1999
Lightning sparks wild fires on Big Creek Reserve
By Tim Stephens
A lightning storm that struck the Big Sur coast in early September sparked wildfires
that continue to burn in rugged wilderness areas, including parts of UCSC's Landels-Hill
Big Creek Reserve.
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| One of a selection of photos on the Big Creek Reserve fire page, showing a "water drop" |
Reserve manager John Smiley has posted a Big Creek Reserve fire page on the Web, with photos and detailed descriptions of how the fire is affecting the reserve. As of Wednesday, September 29, Smiley reported that the fire-fighting crew were "pretty confident that they can save the structures, unless the wind strengthens."
Maggie Fusari, director of UCSC's Natural Reserves, emphasized that fire is a natural part of the reserve's ecology and is not necessarily a bad thing. Reserve staff are first concerned with the health and safety of all the people at Big Sur and next are concerned about protecting the cabins and other structures located on the reserve.
"The native vegetation is adapted to periodic fires, and most of the plants on the reserve either resprout after the burn or produce seeds that will either increase their germination or only germinate after a fire," Fusari said.
The Hare Fire that is burning on the reserve is part of the larger Kirk Fire Complex, which has burned a total of 62,635 acres so far in the Ventana Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest. These fires started as a result of a lightning storm that moved through the area on September 8. Detailed information about the Kirk Fire Complex is available on the Web at
http://www.ventanawild.org/fire.html
The Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve is part of UC's Natural Reserve System, the largest university-operated system of natural reserves in the world, with 33 reserves throughout the state. Big Creek is one of four reserves managed by the UCSC campus.
