RCA receives wildfire management update after multiple recent fires on conserved lands

RCA staff presented an update on wildfire incidents this year and progress on a consultant-led wildfire management plan during the Oct. 6 board meeting; the board received and filed the report.

Presenter Mr. Sandoval said six fires this wildfire season affected RCA-managed lands. He reported the Baxter Fire near Murrieta burned about 60 acres overall, including roughly 43 acres of RCA-owned land, and that the Juniper Fire burned approximately 688 acres overall, including about 68 acres of RCA land. The Pyrite Fire in the northern portion of Aruba Valley burned roughly 150 acres, including 29 acres of RCA land on the Teledyne property; staff said Delhi Sands flower-loving fly habitat was not impacted. The Nichols Fire near Lake Elsinore burned about 50 acres, including roughly 25 acres of RCA land and 25 acres under Bureau of Land Management control; another subsequent Pyrite Fire in September burned larger acreage and affected RCA conserved lands, and the Crump Fire burned about 55 acres, consuming approximately 46 acres of RCA land.

Mr. Sandoval said CAL FIRE is investigating causes for multiple fires and that official perimeters had not been published for some incidents at the time of the presentation. He credited Riverside County park rangers with rapid response and coordination that limited impacts in some areas. "County park staff responded to the property immediately upon notification of the fire and coordinated with responding fire agencies from both Riverside and San Bernardino counties," Sandoval said when describing response to the Pyrite Fire.

On postfire management, Sandoval described RCA and MSHCP parks staff roles: park staff assist incident commanders with orienteering and access, perform burned-area assessments when safe, coordinate cleanup and recontouring of firebreaks, secure properties if needed, and evaluate burned areas for invasive-species risk and restoration needs. He said burn areas are vulnerable to invasive plants because native competition is reduced.

On planning, RCA contracted Dudek (consultant) last year to prepare a comprehensive wildfire management plan for RCA lands. Work completed so far includes creation of a GIS database, extensive field assessments of conserved lands, wildfire-hazard modeling, and a community risk assessment and habitat conversion risk model. Next steps include further risk analysis, drafting planned contact (outreach) materials, gathering input from local fire agencies beginning in early November, and preparing a draft plan for review.

Board members asked whether Dudek had debriefed responding agencies to identify operational lessons on access and coordination. Sandoval said debriefs had not yet occurred but were planned as part of the meetings with local fire agencies in November; he reported no known issues this season with responding agencies accessing properties. The board did not take further action; staff labeled the item as "receive and file."