Feds Give Funds for Springs Fire Restoration

by Jessica E. Davis

Safety, recreational and ecological impacts to areas in the Santa Monica Mountains scorched by the Springs Fire will be addressed due to $263,000 in funding. 

The National Parks Service received the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) funding this month, and additional funds are expected for the next fiscal year, which begins October 1.

“Frequent fires were not the norm in Southern California,” said David Szymanski, superintendent of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. “Historically, areas would burn every 75 to 100 years. Frequent fires not only damage trails and signs, they can bring in weeds and encourage erosion if we do not take action. The impacts from the Springs Fire will continue long after the fire is out.”

Shortly after the fire, park staff and a team of volunteers hand-pulled more than 2,000 invasive jointed goat grass plants that cropped up adjacent to the burn area. Invasive weeds and grasses crowd out native species and are also more fire-prone. 

The funds will also go toward trail repair and signage, preparation for winter storms and increased law enforcement patrols to protect archaeological sites and sensitive habitat. 

More than half of the 24,000 acres burned during the Springs Fire occurred on public lands in the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains, including National Park land and California State Park land.