DOCSLIB.ORG

Park Service Leads Woolsey Fire Recovery Efforts Empowher

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Park Service Leads Woolsey Fire Recovery Efforts Empowher NON PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PACIFIC REGIONAL OFFICE PAID Travel with Us 350 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza OAKLAND, CA By Jared Dial Suite 1100 PERMIT #2030 Oakland, CA 94612 oin us on one of our small-group RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED educational adventures, where you’ll Pacific Region | Summer 2019 Jhit the trails or explore via small-ship cruise. Land tours are limited to just 16 participants plus two guides and include meals, accommodations and on-trip transportation. See the full lineup of NPCA trips at npca.org/trips. Zion and Beyond September 28–October 4, 2019 October 26–November 1, 2019 Travel under the regular tourist radar this fall as we explore the less-traveled trails, vistas and cultural sites of three iconic Southwestern national park sites: Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase- Park Service Leads Escalante National Monument and Zion EmpowHER National Park. Woolsey Fire Recovery Efforts Campout By Laura Torres By Dennis Arguelles and land management agencies prepare for what turned out to be one of the wettest PCA’s efforts to develop more he Woolsey Fire burned nearly Southern California winters in decades. Seasons of Yosemite outdoor leaders and advocates 100,000 acres of the Santa Monica The rain, while needed, posed additional September 22–27, 2019 FLOWERS, WHALES AND ADVOCACY often starts at the community level, Mountains National Recreational N T threats to the burn areas by increasing the long before we meet with our elected Area in just two short weeks last November. October 13–18, 2019 chance for landslides. officials, by introducing people to the The most devastating fire in the recreation By Laura Torres wonders of national parks. EmpowHER The largest trees in the world and area’s history, it impacted 88 percent of is a program that recognizes that women, picture-perfect Yosemite Valley reign on he Santa Monica Mountains National the National Park Service-managed lands and especially women of color, are often this journey that transcends time and Recreation Area represents the closest in the park, much of which provided critical leaders in their communities. When retraces the steps that inspired naturalist national park unit to Los Angeles and habitat for protected and endangered T brought together to camp, connect and species. Western Town at Paramount and philosopher, John Muir. a gateway for many families to the broader explore, we provide a launching point national park system. This spring, we Ranch—a National Historic Register site for them to continue learning about and iconic filming location—was also organized a trip for families from the San the outdoors and supporting each other Fernando Valley to Point Dume, in the destroyed, as were a joint NPS/UCLA along a journey of building confidence, research center, ranger housing and other Joshua Tree and recreation area’s coastal zone. The purpose leadership and advocacy. was to learn about grey whale migration critical park facilities. In all, over 600 Death Valley and share the parks’ beauty with the families. March’s EmpowHER campout at Red Rock park structures burned, as did hundreds of homes and businesses in the surrounding November 4–9, 2019 The amazing flower bloom taking place at Canyon Park, managed by the Mountains the time also allowed us to discuss engaging Recreation & Conservation Authority, communities. with the outdoors responsibly. While the provided 12 women with technical outdoor Explore the startling, surreal and sublime In the aftermath of the fire, NPS helped families lived less than 30 miles from skills, while also giving them the time to The BAER effort demonstrates the critical landscapes of Joshua Tree and Death Valley mobilize a Burn Area Emergency Response Point Dume, none of the participants had reflect on the power of their voice and to role NPS plays in the aftermath of such as you head deep into the heart of the (BAER) Team, an interdisciplinary group previously visited this site. Thrilled by the set personal goals. Part of what makes disasters and highlights its potential to Mojave Desert. tasked with assessing sites that could be opportunity to see grey whales, seals and this program so special is that it provides assist other areas in and around the Santa impacted by future erosion and debris flow. other wildlife so close to the city, the families a safe space to share challenges and fears. Monica Mountains National Recreation BAER efforts helped minimize threats by were enthusiastic about future opportunities, The women feel heard; they feel compas- Area, particularly if the proposed “Rim of prescribing and implementing emergency which fueled a conversation about protecting sion for one another and receive a the Valley” expansion is successful. The treatments that reduced threats to life and our public lands and working together to tremendous amount of support to be expansion will add more than 193,000 property and prevented further degradation build a greener future. Part of that discussion brave and bold in the pursuit of their acres to the park and greatly enhance the Top: Hiker overlooking Zion Canyon to natural and cultural resources. The work ©Tobinakehurst | Dreamstime Middle: Yosemite centered on identifying and acknowledging generations. This was our second outing Above: Enjoying the beauty of the flower bloom aspirations on and off the trail. Moreover, proved useful in helping local communities waterfall reflection in water ©Pettys | Dreamstime the barriers to park access. Most importantly, with the group, and our next activity will during a short hike. ©Laura Navar the feeling of sisterhood creates a network continued on page 2 Bottom: Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National the families walked away with a sense of include a Civic Voice Workshop to help that they can rely on into the future. Park, California ©Tobkatrina | Dreamstime increased ownership and responsibility further develop their skills and confidence Top: Vibrant yellow wildflowers covering Corral Canyon, Malibu, California in Spring 2019, four months Printed on 100% post-consumer content after the Woolsey Fire of November 2018 destroyed this area. ©Andrew Konieczny | Dreamstime Above: continued on page 3 for protecting these places for future as park advocates. Devastation caused by Woolsey Fire, November 2018 ©NPS FIELD LETTER FROM THE SENIOR REGIONAL DIRECTOR Another Shot at Halting Cadiz NPCA Helps Secure Major Clean Air Victory in California Fire, Rain and Hope By Chris Clarke for a vote in late May. We are optimistic REPORT By Mark Rose By Ron Sundergill alifornia has another shot at halting that SB307 will continue to do well in the park field trips have on younger the proposed Cadiz water mining Legislature. Summer 2019 people who are experiencing t’s no secret that three of California’s his Field Report covers project, which would siphon 16 billion beautiful national park sites C most famous national parks—Yosemite, numerous issues, gallons of groundwater each year from Ordinarily, the kind of environmental Pacific Regional Office Staff for the first time. What’s more, Sequoia and Kings Canyon—suffer from including the devastat- underneath national parks and monuments assessment mandated by SB307 would I 350 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza • Suite 1100 T they’re turning this new-found some of the worst air quality of any parks ing impact of fire on Santa in the Mojave Desert, drying up critical be performed by federal agencies under Oakland, CA 94612 passion into action to protect in the nation. This is why NPCA’s Sierra Monica Mountains National desert springs. the National Environmental Policy Act. 415.728.0839 Nevada office has focused its efforts on a Recreation Area (SMMNRA). these places. As NPCA But Cadiz, whose former lobbyist David Ron Sundergill continues its work to establish SB307, introduced in the California Bernhardt recently won confirmation as coalition-driven grassroots campaign to SR. REGIONAL DIRECTOR We also examine the rain- an LA-based Young Leaders Legislature by state Senator Richard Roth Secretary of the Interior, was spared that pressure state agencies into cleaning up Neal Desai storms, both bad and good, Council, we are seeing a (Riverside), would require state agencies legally required review when Bernhardt’s the regional air pollution originating in the DIRECTOR OF FIELD OPERATIONS which equally affect our parks. metaphoric bloom that is just to conduct a thorough review of Cadiz’s Interior Department reinterpreted a 19th neighboring San Joaquin Valley. Following Chris Boone as amazing as the flowers. likely effects on the delicate ecosystems century railroad law to exempt Cadiz from a successful NPCA-led lawsuit that helped We hope this plan will ensure the air quality state incentives and contains no plan B REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Raining down on us right now of Mojave National Preserve and Mojave review. NPCA is challenging Interior’s push the California Air Resources Board within and surrounding these three parks should the state fall short of what is required. I take great hope in the fact is a troubling proposal from Trails National Monument. In April, the decision in federal court, in a case set to (CARB) to act, we now have a clearer path will finally begin meeting the federal PM2.5 Going forward, NPCA will continue its push Kati Schmidt that new leaders are emerging the administration which bill won approval by the state Senate’s begin hearings this June in Los Angeles. toward obtaining this goal. In January, health standards established more than 20 to see the plan effectively implemented ASSOC. DIRECTOR OF MEDIA RELATIONS to work on protecting the California desert would open federal lands in California— Natural Resources and Water Committee; Stay tuned for updates. CARB finally approved a long overdue plan years ago. Unfortunately, despite numerous and the relevant deadlines met. For more Shareeka Spooner from the Cadiz water mining operation.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Northern California 2018 Extreme Fire Season
    THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 2018 EXTREME FIRE SEASON Timothy Brown, Steve Leach, Brent Wachter, and Billy Gardunio Affiliations: Brown – Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada; Leach – Bureau of Land Management, Redding, California; Wachter – USDA Forest Service, Redding, California; Gardunio – USDA Forest Service, Redding, California. Corresponding Author: Timothy Brown, [email protected] INTRODUCTION. The fire season of 2018 was the most extreme on record in Northern California in terms of the number of fatalities (95), over 22,000 structures destroyed, and over 600,000 hectares burned (https://www.fire.ca.gov/media/5511/top20_destruction.pdf; accessed November 24, 2019). The most deadly and destructive fire in California history, the Camp Fire, occurred in Butte County in the Sierra Nevada foothills in early November, and caused 85 fatalities and destroyed nearly 19,000 structures. The largest fire complex in state history, the Mendocino Complex, which included the Ranch fire, the largest single fire in state history, burned nearly 186,000 hectares. It occurred in July and August killing one fire fighter. In western Shasta County nearly 138,000 hectares burned from July through September in the Carr, Hirz, and Delta Fires. These fires caused multiple closures of Interstate 5 and exhibited some of the most extreme fire behavior ever observed in California. The Carr Fire caused eight fatalities, including two fire fighters and two workers supporting firefighting efforts, burned over 1,100 homes in west Redding, caused the evacuation of one-third of the city, and produced an extreme fire vortex with an Enhanced Fujita scale rating between 136 to 165 mph, making it arguably the 1 strongest tornado type event in state history, and one of the strongest documented cases in the world (Lareau et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Becerra Wants to Block Release of Woolsey Fire Origin Report
    dailyjournal.com Becerra wants to block release of Woolsey Fire origin report 4-5 minutes Seven months before the first trial is scheduled to begin related to the Woolsey wildfire in Southern California, Attorney General Xavier Becerra is seeking to block the release of a fire department report on the cause of the blaze. "Hastily allowing the premature disclosure of the contents of the criminal investigation file would significantly undermine the law enforcement process in this case," states a motion filed by Deputy Attorney General Alexander Fisch. The Woolsey Fire burned 96,949 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties in November 2018. Southern California Edison Co.'s equipment has been blamed by some plaintiffs' attorneys for the fire, and the company is facing thousands of civil claims. All cases are coordinated and heard before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William F. Highberger. The Ventura County Fire Protection District, with the help of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, investigated the cause and origin of the fire. Fisch, who is representing Cal Fire, filed the motion to quash Aug. 30 and is joined by Baron & Budd PC lawyers Scott Summy, John P. Fiske and Victoria E. Sherlin, who are representing the county of Ventura, its fire protection district and other public entities. They argued the report should remain confidential until the state completes its review and determines whether criminal charges should be brought against Edison. The motion cited a case of parents who were suspects in the murder of their toddler and sued to get information relating to the investigation.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of California Wildfire Evacuations from 2017 to 2019
    REVIEW OF CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE EVACUATIONS FROM 2017 TO 2019 STEPHEN WONG, JACQUELYN BROADER, AND SUSAN SHAHEEN, PH.D. MARCH 2020 DOI: 10.7922/G2WW7FVK DOI: 10.7922/G29G5K2R Wong, Broader, Shaheen 2 Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. UC-ITS-2019-19-b N/A N/A 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Review of California Wildfire Evacuations from 2017 to 2019 March 2020 6. Performing Organization Code ITS-Berkeley 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report Stephen D. Wong (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3638-3651), No. Jacquelyn C. Broader (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3269-955X), N/A Susan A. Shaheen, Ph.D. (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3350-856X) 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. Institute of Transportation Studies, Berkeley N/A 109 McLaughlin Hall, MC1720 11. Contract or Grant No. Berkeley, CA 94720-1720 UC-ITS-2019-19 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period The University of California Institute of Transportation Studies Covered www.ucits.org Final Report 14. Sponsoring Agency Code UC ITS 15. Supplementary Notes DOI: 10.7922/G29G5K2R 16. Abstract Between 2017 and 2019, California experienced a series of devastating wildfires that together led over one million people to be ordered to evacuate. Due to the speed of many of these wildfires, residents across California found themselves in challenging evacuation situations, often at night and with little time to escape. These evacuations placed considerable stress on public resources and infrastructure for both transportation and sheltering.
    [Show full text]
  • Symposium Program Proceedings
    Department of Geography Spring 2019 Colloquium May 8th, 2019 7:00 PM – 9:45 PM Program Poster Session – 7:00PM – 9:45PM (Peterson Hall 2nd Floor) Social Vulnerability in Communities Affected by the Thomas Fire Disaster by Lluvia Lastra, Lilian Yang, Segnide Guidimadjegbe, and Andrew Siwabessy The burden of hazard prevention and of loss in communities on the wildland-urban interface (WUI) is often unequally shouldered along socioeconomic lines. The changing nature of social vulnerability in these communities, in light of the dynamic fire regime, is not well studied in the context of southern California. In this study this shift is characterized by analyzing the 2017-2018 Thomas Fire and subsequent debris flow events using a mixed methodology approach. Maps of structural damage are created using Cal Fire parcel-level damage data in a geographical information system (GIS). Demographic data is reduced from Census block group information using principal component analysis (PCA) and is re- represented as a social vulnerability index (SoVI) after Cutter (2003). To identify socially vulnerable groups that are not obvious from Census data, we utilized a content analysis of newspaper articles published by the Santa Barbara Independent to further inform the geospatial analysis. Although the spatial analysis did not identify an explicit correlation between our SoVI and damage extent, qualitative enrichment offered explanations for damage extent outlier block groups and identified vulnerable groups that were missed by the spatial analysis. A Spark of Life: California Coastal sage scrub regeneration post-Woolsey Fire by Derek Emmons Despite California coastal sage scrub (CSS)’s resilience to millennia of human interactions, losing 90% of its historic range to development has left the remaining islands of biodiversity sensitive to variations in disturbance (Engelberg et al.
    [Show full text]
  • (SBN 53783) Dhowarth
    1 HOWARTH & SMITH DON HOWARTH (SBN 53783) 2 [email protected] SUZELLE M. SMITH (SBN 113992) 3 [email protected] PAULEEN TRUONG (SBN 317914) 4 [email protected] 523 West Sixth Street, Suite 728 5 Los Angeles, California 90014 Telephone: (213) 955-9400 6 Facsimile: (213) 622-0791 7 Attorneys for Plaintiffs 8 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA 9 FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES – CENTRAL DISTRICT 10 11 ANDREW VON OEYEN, an individual; ) CASE NO. EMMANUEL VILLAUME, an individual; ) 12 DAWN ERICSON, individually and as Trustee of ) COMPLAINT FOR DAMAGES AND the DAWN NAVARRO ERICSON TRUST; ) INJUNCTIVE RELIEF: 13 DOMINQUE NAVARRO, an individual; JACK ) SILVERMAN, an individual; CLAIRE ) 1. NEGLIGENCE AS TO SCE 14 SILVERMAN, an individual; MARIEL ) DEFENDANTS SANDOVAL, individually and as parent and ) 2. NEGLIGENCE AS TO BOEING 15 natural guardian of STELLA BELLE ) SANDOVAL, a minor; CLIFF HIRSCH, an ) DEFENDANTS 16 individual; GLADYS HIRSCH, an individual; ) 3. INVERSE CONDEMNATION ISHC LOMPOC, LLC, a California limited ) 4. PUBLIC NUISANCE 17 liability company; PAUL ROTHBARD, an ) 5. PRIVATE NUISANCE individual; and CHELSEA SEGAL, an individual; ) 6. TRESPASS 18 ) 7. VIOLATION OF PUBLIC Plaintiffs, ) UTILITIES CODE § 2106 19 ) vs. ) 8. VIOLATION OF HEALTH & 20 ) SAFETY CODE § 13007 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON ) 9. VIOLATION OF HEALTH & 21 COMPANY; EDISON INTERNATIONAL; ) SAFETY CODE § 13008 THE BOEING COMPANY; and DOES 1 ) 10. PREMISES LIABILITY 22 through 100, inclusive, ) ) DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL 23 Defendants. ) 24 / / / 25 / / / 26 / / / 27 / / / 28 / / / COMPLAINT 1 Plaintiffs, by their attorneys, complaining of Defendants, allege for their Complaint as follows: 2 I. INTRODUCTION 3 THE WOOLSEY FIRE 4 1.
    [Show full text]
  • NOAA West Watch Reporting Regional Environmental Conditions
    NOAA West Watch Reporting Regional Environmental Conditions & Impacts in the West November 27, 2018 Call Agenda • Project Recap & Updates (Dan McEvoy) • Regional Climate and ENSO brief (Dan McEvoy) • Guest speaker: Dr. Nina Oakley, California post-fire debris flow hazards heading into winter 2018/2019 • IOOS Nearshore Conditions brief (Jan Newton, Alex Harper) • Discussion - Environmental conditions and impacts reporting (All) – Additional impacts to share? – Future guest speaker or thematic issue of interest? 2 Project Recap and Updates • NOAA West Watch bi-monthly webinars are a project of the NOAA Western Regional Collaboration Team (NOAA West), in partnership with the Western Regional Climate Center with standing contributions from the three Integrated Ocean Observing System Regional Associations. • Initiated in 2015, evaluated in 2016 and re-instated as a bi-monthly offering in 2018. Current goals: – Serve as forum for bring together NOAA staff and partners from across the agency and region to share information about regional scale environmental observations and impacts on human systems. – Help facilitate interdisciplinary connections and the exchange of information among agency staff and partners on regional climatic and oceanic conditions, particularly departures from normal. These webinars are not formal public releases of data. 3 Project Recap and Updates • This is the first webinar offering for Fiscal Year 2019 and the Western Regional Climate Center has taken over leading the webinars • NOAA West has provided funding to the Western Regional Climate Center to offer three more in Fiscal Year 2019 (November, January & Spring/Summer timeframe). Next webinar: January 22nd, 1-2PM PDT/ 2-3PM MDT. • 2019 is a transitional year.
    [Show full text]
  • Effects of Woolsey Fire on Nesting Territories of Southern California Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo
    Effects of Woolsey Fire on Nesting Territories of Southern California Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) Jane Gao [email protected] 1 ABSTRACT: The relationship between fire and wildlife habitat is complex. Fires can create favorable conditions for some species and simultaneously extirpate entire populations of other species. Red-tailed hawks choose nesting habitats according to resources available. Natural disturbances such as wildfires change the availability of those resources. In late 2018, the Woolsey fire burned much of Ventura County, California, changing composition of the flora and fauna in areas affected by the fire. Nest site use for Red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) has been tracked in the Santa Monica Mountains of Ventura county from the 1970s to 2019. The Woolsey fire area is surrounded by mountain ranges as well as suburban areas, providing hawks with a variety of nesting habitats consisting of both native and nonnative trees. The Woolsey fire affected these varied habitats differently. The area burned by the Woolsey fire had not been largely affected by fire since the 2003 Simi fire. The fact that this area has been free from damaging stochastic events for over a decade made it a prime area for studying the immediate effects of fire on raptor nesting. We investigated how fire affected nest habitability and whether several variables factored into nest persistence within the 2018 Woolsey fire area. Nest persistence in this context was defined by the presence of a nesting hawk. We hypothesized that the magnitude of the burn and the species of the tree in which the nest was built were correlated to nest persistence.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Welcome to Santa Monica Mountains
    National Park Service Southern California Fire Ecology U.S. Department of the Interior Wildfire Walkabout Santa Monica Mountains High School Teacher Guide National Recreation Area WELCOME Welcome to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Southern California Fire Ecology: Wildfire Walkabout The purpose of this guide is to prepare you and your students for your trip to the Santa Monica Mountains. This field trip is self-led. Please read this guide carefully and if you will be visiting, contact the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) education team at [email protected]. FIELD TRIP LOCATION The field trip can take place in any recent burn scar in your area or the Santa Monica Mountains. Suggested sites within the park include Paramount Ranch, Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa, Circle X Ranch, Rocky Oaks, Peter Strauss Ranch, or Solstice Canyon. However, you must contact the park to make sure these sites are accessible and available for a field trip by calling (805) 370-2301 or email [email protected]. As this is a teacher-led field trip please feel free to visit any location that is convenient to you that has been affected by a recent wildfire. You may use or modify any of the activities suggested in this program to your needs. DIRECTIONS For directions to the sites above, call (805) 370-2301 or visit https://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm GOOD TO KNOW Parking – The parking areas in the national park site locations are free. Other sites in the recreation area may require a fee. National Park Service (NPS) parking lots are open from 8:00 AM to sunset.
    [Show full text]
  • Estimating the Impacts of Wildfire on Ecosystem Services in Southern California
    Estimating the Impacts of Wildfire on Ecosystem Services in Southern California Emma Underwood University of California, Davis, USA and Southampton University, UK Hugh Safford US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region and University of California, Davis Mediterranean-type ecosystems • Cool moist winters, warm dry summers • Long dry season • High inter-annual variability in precipitation • Fire is a major ecological process Characterized by • High levels of biodiversity • High population densities • High levels of threats Area burned in California wildfires 2003-2018 9000 8000 7000 y = 139.82x - 277808 R² = 0.0918 6000 5000 4000 Square km 3000 2000 1000 0 Estimate of insured fire loss, the 10 worst wildfires in US history 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 Insured Structures Rank Date Name, Location Deaths loss ($ d destroyed millions) 1 Nov. 8-25, 2018 Camp Fire, CA 18800 86 9000 2 Oct. 8-20, 2017 Tubbs Fire 5640 22 >4000 3 Nov. 8-12, 2018 Woolsey Fire, CA 1600 3 3000 4 Oct. 8-20, 2017 Atlas Fire, CA 780 6 >2000 5 Dec. 4-Jan. 12, 2017 Thomas Fire, CA 1070 21* 1800 6 Oct. 20-21, 1991 Oakland Hills Fire, CA 3290 25 1700 7 Jul. 23-Aug. 30, 2018 Carr Fire, CA 1605 8 1650 8 Oct. 21-24, 2007 Witch Fire, CA 1265 2 1300 9 Oct. 25-Nov. 4, 2003 Cedar Fire, CA 2820 15 1060 10 Oct. 25-Nov. 3, 2003 Old Fire, CA 975 6 975 Insurance Information institute, https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics- wildfires; Updated for 2017 & 2018 fires from preliminary online data Current fire situation in northern v.
    [Show full text]
  • California Wildfires Team 7500: Gators April 14, 2021 By: Anushka Srinivasan, Siona Tagare, and Reva Tagare Acknowledgments
    California Wildfires Team 7500: Gators April 14, 2021 By: Anushka Srinivasan, Siona Tagare, and Reva Tagare Acknowledgments We would first like to thank the Actuarial Foundation for this opportunity to participate in the 2021 Modeling the Future Challenge and for introducing us to actuarial science. We are grateful to our families, peers, and teachers who encouraged us throughout this process. We thank Ms. Laura Mitchell, our actuary mentor, for her wisdom and guidance. From cheering us on at every symposium session to offering feedback on all of our drafts, Ms. Mitchell’s support was vital to our success. Finally, we would like to extend our gratitude to our team coach and statistics teacher, Mr. Kyle Barriger, without whom this project would not have been possible. Mr. Barriger’s unwavering support and commitment to this team were truly invaluable, and we are endlessly grateful to him for teaching us all that we know about statistics. We are honored to have learned from and worked with him over the last few months. 1 Executive Summary Over the past few years, California’s fire seasons have grown in both frequency and severity: 15 of the state’s 20 most destructive wildfires1 have occurred within the last five years, destroying 19,000 structures (Top 20 Most, 2020, p. 1). This damage has taken a notable toll on our identified stakeholders: homeowners, government agencies, and insurance companies will be affected the most by wildfire damages. Homeowners sustain significant losses: they are not only hurt financially but also emotionally, as they lose all of the memories attached to their homes.
    [Show full text]
  • Bike Park Gets New Lease County Finishing up Los
    Local News, Your Community Arts & Entertainment, Your News Schools, Business, Environment Vol #2 - Issue #24 esteroCAMBRIA • CAYU COSbay • LOS OSOS • MORRO news BAY December 17, 2020 - January 13, 2021 Bike Park Gets New Lease County Finishing Up Los By Neil Farrell Osos Community Plan By Neil Farrell ounty Supervisors took their first look at the Los Osos CCommunity Plan, an all-encompassing set of documents that will guide all aspects of Los Osos’s future — development, habitat conservation, and resource planning — and of course there is controversy over the plans regarding growth and water. “The Community Plan,” reads a Dec. 15 County report, “and related amendments will put in place the goals, policies, programs, standards, and zoning needed to guide future land use, transportation, and development for sustainable growth in the community over the next 20 years.” The “Los Osos Community Plan,” and the “Los Osos Habitat Conservation Plan,” are key segments of the Estero Area Plan, covering Los Osos, Cayucos and rural Morro Bay, which the County has been working to update for nearly 30 years. Due to the sewer controversy and more, Los Osos was separated out form the rest of the Estero Area Plan around 2003. The rest of the area, Cayucos and rural Morro bay, had their portions of the plan approved in 2004. Supervisors also were asked to certify an environmental impact report on the plan(s) including the Habitat Conservation Plan. It was a mouthful of documents interconnected in their scope and authority, and all subject to approval of the Coastal A young mountain biker gets some air in this photo taken in January 2016 at the grand opening of the Morro Bay Bike Park.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of the Mental Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke, Solastalgia, and Non-Traditional Firefighters
    REVIEW OF THE MENTAL HEALTH EFFECTS OF WILDFIRE SMOKE, SOLASTALGIA, AND NON-TRADITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS PAGE 1 Francesca Gabbiani. Untitled. From the Collection of David Eisenman and Julia Pistor, Los Angeles. Citation: Eisenman, David P., Kyaw, May M.T., Eclarino, Kristopher. “Review of the Mental Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke, Solastalgia, and Non-Traditional Firefighters,” UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, & Climate Resolve. Los Angeles, CA. March, 2021. Corresponding Author: David Eisenman, [email protected] Funding provided by the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund and the National Academy of Medicine PAGE 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 4 BACKGROUND 4 METHODS 6 RESULTS 8 Mental Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke 8 Mental Health Impacts of Solastalgia from Wildfires 16 Mental Health Impacts of Wildfires on Civilian and Inmate Firefighters 17 IMPLICATIONS OF THIS REVIEW 19 REFERENCES AND REVIEWED PAPERS 20 LIST OF FIGURES Table 1. Quantitative Studies of the Mental Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke 10 Table 2. Qualitative Studies of the Mental Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke 11 Figure 1. Proposed Mechanisms of Wildfire Smoke Exposure on Psychological Health and 14 Well-Being PAGE 3 A. INTRODUCTION In 2019, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop on “Public Health Implications of the California Wildfires for Health, Communities, and Preparedness”, sponsored by the Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity, the Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine, and the Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness. Workshop participants expressed the concern that mental health effects of wildfires are under-appreciated and under-researched.
    [Show full text]