Bringing good fire back to Bouverie Preserve

Bringing good fire back to Bouverie Preserve

ACR’s Fire Forward program on Saturday conducted a 27-acre controlled burn of annual grassland and oak savannah at Bouverie Preserve near Glen Ellen. Ecological objectives for this event were timed to reduce non-native and invasive plants, promote native bunchgrasses and native wildflowers and to offer a ‘live fire’ cooperative training opportunity for regional fire fighters, land managers and private landowners.

These acres were the first to be treated at Bouverie Preserve with a controlled burn since the 2017 Nuns Fire, and were selected for treatment under the new regional plan for fire and vegetation management developed by the Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative, of which Audubon Canyon Ranch is a member.

A wide range of regional partners participated on the controlled burn, including members of the Collaborative, Mayacamas Volunteer Fire Department, Bodega Volunteer Fire Department, Geyserville Volunteer Fire Department, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation. Additionally, members of the public who recently completed a basic wildland fire course were paired with experienced trainers for the opportunity to participate in their first ‘live fire.’

Prior to the burn, ACR’s avian ecologists and stewardship staff conducted a survey, identifying all birds within the burn units and looking for nesting behavior, in particular, of certain sensitive species, including: Olive-sided Flycatcher, Grasshopper Sparrow, Purple Martin, and Yellow Warbler.

The acres treated will continue to be monitored under a protocol developed by ACR’s stewardship staff.

For more coverage of this controlled burn, see The Press Democrat article >