It was about two years ago that the Woolsey Fire began burning through the Santa Monica Mountains. When it was finally extinguished on November 21, 2018, the Woolsey Fire burned close to 97,000 acres in the mountains, causing $6 billion in damages and taking the lives of three people. It may seem like forever ago, but a lot can change in the span of two years. A new, free Zoom presentation from the National Parks Conservation Association will take stock at how the recovery has gone so far — and what we may expect in the future.
Smoke from the Woolsey Fire looms in the air over the Santa Monica Mountains. Photo November 9, 2018.
The Woolsey Fire talk is part of the NPCA’s Park Talk Series, a year-long series of in-depth conversations concerning national parks across the United States. Recordings from most of the events are still available at their website.
This talk will take place on December 1st from 10AM-11AM (Pacific), and is titled “The Woolsey Fire, 2 Years Later: Recovery and Restoration in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.” The program will examine what we’ve learned from 2018’s devastating fire, and what the future holds for our beloved national park. Presenters include:
Joseph Algiers, Restoration Ecologist, National Park Service
Seth Riley, Wildlife Branch Chief, National Park Service
Charlotte Parry, Executive Director, Santa Monica Mountains Fund
To join the program, you can simply use this Zoom Link or you can send an email to [email protected] and you will have an email sent to you with the Zoom meeting information.
After the Woolsey Fire, I wrote about the pain of losing hiking trails and memories of the outdoors in special places, but that the landscape itself would likely come back if given the proper care and conditions. Happily, when I re-hiked one of my favorite trails after they had re-opened, the native California vegetation looked like it was well on the road to recovery. I look forward to hearing what the experts have to say on this topic!
A poppy grows in the Woolsey Fire burn area
