Photo: CA State Parks
Smoke may waft into West County but don’t call 911
By Pinole Police Department & Ryan Forbes, Bay Area District, CA State Parks
After pausing of the September 8th prescribed burn at Angel Island State Park, California State Parks, in partnership with CAL FIRE and the Marin County Fire Department, plan to continue the prescribed burn as early as Wednesday, Sept. 23 to Thursday, Sept. 24. Burn dates will depend on wildfire activity, resource availability, weather conditions, predicted smoke movement and fuel moisture.
Community members should refrain from calling 911 to report smoke from Angel Island to avoid overwhelming emergency dispatchers.
After the Sept. 8th burn, following further evaluation of conditions and discussions with the Bay Area Air District, all project partners agreed to cancel further burn operations for the week.
Prescribed burns conducted in State Parks promote habitat improvement and reduce fuel loads that have accumulated in the absence of historically frequent, low-intensity fires. All burning is dependent upon wildfire activity, resource availability, weather conditions, predicted smoke movement and fuel moisture. If conditions are not conducive, the burn will be rescheduled.
Pile burns at Angel Island State Park in April 2023. Photo from California State Parks
Trail Closures at Angel Island State Park: Ida Trail, Sunset Trail, the fire road and Perimeter Road may be closed on and immediately following burn days.
State Parks started the prescribed burn on Angel Island on Sept. 8 but did not finish the planned 260-acre burn following discussions with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. These prescribed burns at Angel Island are specifically aimed at reducing fuel loads in grasslands and coastal scrub on the island and are supported by Proposition 4 (2024 Climate Bond). State Parks uses prescribed fire on a rotational basis as a healthy component of the ecosystem. Prescribed burns help reduce dangerous fuel loads throughout wildland areas.
The previous Angel Island burn accomplished several key objectives outlined in the plan.
“We were able to burn 62 acres on the island with the fuels reduction that we’ve accomplished, reducing the chance of a catastrophic fire on the island,” said Division Chief Sean Jerry, CAL FIRE Sonoma Lake Napa Unit.
Angel Island is the largest island in San Francisco Bay at one square mile and is visible from many surrounding Bay Area communities. Many Bay Area residents are likely to see smoke from the burns from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on burn days, and some smoke may also be visible up to three days following ignitions.
Prescribed burns are planned and coordinated with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to minimize smoke impacts on surrounding communities. All burning depends on weather and air conditions that are favorable for smoke dispersal. If conditions are not conducive, the burn will be rescheduled.
“We work closely with the Air Quality Management District, and we really look for those small windows that have the greatest ability to disperse the smoke in the least impactful manner,” said Division Chief Graham Groneman, Marin County Fire Department.
“As always, we will be doing this with our neighbors and communities in mind,” said Senior Environmental Scientist Naftali Moed, California State Parks.
A view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin County from Angel Island. Photo: CA State Parks
Angel Island State Park will remain open during burn days. However, some trails and roads near the burn area, including portions of the Ida Trail, Sunset Trail, and the park’s fire and perimeter roads, will be closed for one to three days during and immediately after the burn. Access to the summit of Mt. Livermore will not be permitted on some burn days as well.
State Parks asks that visitors adhere to posted closure signage and any directions from park staff or fire personnel. Please use extreme caution when recreating near prescribed fire operations due to fire personnel and equipment in the area. In the unlikely event you smell smoke, officials urge you to take precautions and use common sense to reduce any harmful health effects by limiting time spent in smoky areas.
California State Parks Bay Area District Prescribed Fire Program
The lands encompassed within the Bay Area District of California State Parks include a diverse variety of unique ecosystems, many of which have evolved with and been shaped by fire over millennia. California State Parks has employed prescribed burning as a tool to help steward a number of parks across the State Park System since the 1970s. State Parks first began conducting prescribed burns in Bay Area District park units in the early 1980s, with prescribed pile and broadcast burning having taken place in a number of parks intermittently since then. State Parks staff from across the Bay Area District work closely with CAL FIRE, the Marin County Fire Department and a variety of partners to make sure all prescribed fire work is conducted safely in a manner that furthers State Park’s mission to preserve California’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources.
To stay up to date on the status of this burn, please check the Angel Island State Park webpage, Facebook / Instagram, and the Watch Duty App.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
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