CIRCLE OF LIFE FIRES OFFER VALUABLE LESSONS.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

NEWHALL - A small group of the curious took a hike in Whitney Canyon on Sunday morning where fire roared through just three weeks before.

The hike was the first in a series of fire ecology walks being conducted by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.

Building on experiences and information gathered after fire burned Towsley Canyon in October 2003, the hikes are aimed at teaching the benefits of what may be perceived as a disaster but are actually part of the circle of life.

Wendy Langhans, volunteer coordinator for the MRCA, led the group of 10 adults and six children up the slight incline, stopping occasionally to point out places where the fire burned hotter or where new growth was poking through the surface.

``I want you to use your eyes, your ears, your noses,'' Langhans instructed. ``Tell me what you smell, what you see.''

The group agreed that the smoky smell seemed heavy in the air, and at first glance the blackened surface of the dirt looked desolate. But as they walked, Langhans found lessons in every change in the landscape.

``You don't know it, but there's a race going on,'' she said. ``It's called the Whitney sprint. Everything that's burned here is competing for resources. The plants that start first have the advantage, but this (fire) is something that happens every 10, 25, 35 or 50 years. The plants and animals that are still here live not just to survive but to thrive.''

As the hikers walked the slight incline of the park trail, a small wisp of smoke was detected from a smoldering log.

``Three weeks later, the heartwood is still burning,'' Langhans explained. ``Roots can smolder up to two months.

``Now, if you went up to that tree and the roots were burning underground, what might happen to you if you stepped on the ground nearby?'' she asked a youngster fascinated by the smoke.

``You'd fall in,'' an eager adult hiker piped up.

``Another good reason to stay on the trail,'' she added, turning back to the road.''

While the fire left some of the trees barren or with burned leaves, new growth was evident in grasses and from gnarled, blackened trunks.

Evidence of wildlife was abundant, too, as hikers spotted tracks of bobcats and coyotes as well as larger animals such as mountain lions.

The destruction of shade and hiding places continues to endanger the wildlife that was able to flee or burrow to safety. Langhans said rabbits, ground squirrels and towhees that used to hide in those shelters now spend their energy trying to escape from predators, which include curious hikers.

And she pointed out that, even though animals died in the fire, their death played an essential role in providing sustenance for remaining animals and birds.

``For the first two weeks after a fire, the air is thick with ravens and turkey vultures that feast on the carrion,'' she said.

``We even saw some condors at Towsley that were here, probably to swoop in on the vultures. And a well-fed condor produces more chicks, so this may contribute to a larger condor population.''

Langhans predicted a spring of spectacular wildflowers, since the surface burn caused many seed pods to open up. She said hikers are sure to see mariposa lilies, fire poppies and lupine, annuals that thrive after a fire.

As the trail took a steep incline, she announced that it was time to turn back. But before dismissing everyone, she gave a warning - and an invitation.

``We live on the edge of a wild and urban interface, but life is a trade-off of risks. There is a risk of living here, but there is also a risk in putting out every fire, because of the good it can do. You can create defensible space, a minimum of 30 feet around your homes. Do you have plants that will burn hot? Do you have an evacuation plan?

``Might be a good thing to do on a Sunday afternoon,'' she concluded.

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

IF YOU GO:

Free 90-minute fire ecology hikes will be conducted Aug. 15 and 22. Meet at the trailhead in the Park and Ride lot at the junction of San Fernando Road and Highway 14. For maps or further information, visit the Web site at www.lamountains.com

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Wendy Langhans of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority leads a fire ecology hike Sunday.

(2 -- 4) A group of hikers, top, carefully walks the recently burned Whitney Canyon area on a fire ecology hike. During the ``lesson,'' hikers could see signs of returning wildlife, such as a rabbit, above, or fresh tracks, right.

(5 -- 7) Hikers, aided by walking sticks, above, and guiding signs, below left, are able to notice the slow but remarkable recovery of the burned-out area, such as new plant growth, below.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer

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IF YOU GO: (see text)