WILDFIRE LEAVES MIXED LEGACY.Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer AGOURA HILLS - Thousands of acres of charred parkland, closed during the Topanga Fire and expected to reopen Thursday, pose a flood threat this rainy season while holding the promise of spectacular spring wildflower wildflower Any flowering plant that grows without intentional human aid. Wildflowers are the source of all cultivated garden varieties of flowers. A wildflower growing where it is unwanted is considered a weed. displays. Officials from the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area: see National Parks and Monuments (table). and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is an agency of the state of California in the United States founded in 1979 and dedicated to the acquisition of land in the Santa Susana and Santa Monica Mountains and the Simi Hills, north and west of Los Angeles, for preservation as open met Tuesday on the blackened black·en v. black·ened, black·en·ing, black·ens v.tr. 1. To make black. 2. To sully or defame: a scandal that blackened the mayor's name. 3. land north of Old Agoura, where they said they will spend about a year rehabilitating the wilderness area Broadly, a wilderness area is a region where the land is left in a state where human modifications are minimal; that is, as a wilderness. It might also be called a wild or natural area. (Very low or immaterial human impact or "footprint. . ``On Oct. 13, we will be opening the land for public use, and we encourage people to come out and watch the rebirth process. It's a unique opportunity,'' said Woody Smeck, superintendent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. He said the first rains this fall should begin greening up the blackened land, but Smeck and other officials said what happens depends on the intensity of the rain this winter. ``We are very concerned about flooding, and are working with the Ventura County Watershed Protection The term watershed refers to an area of land that drains precipitation that falls on it to a common point. These points could be streams, lakes, etc. Precipitatoin falling on any part of a watershed can travel quickly on the surface of the land, known as surface runoff, or travel through District on actions to stabilize slopes,'' Smeck said. ``Hopefully, Mother Nature will cooperate and give us moderate rains at first to germinate the seeds to anchor soil. ``We are assessing the situation. It is the surface area that is of concern right now. If there are heavy rains, the soil could wash down into the streams, and we will certainly take action to prevent that.'' The fire broke out Sept. 28 near the Ronald Reagan Freeway and Topanga Canyon Boulevard and burned south to the boundaries of Old Agoura. As a result, Cheeseboro, Palo Comado Canyon, Liberty Canyon and Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Preserve sites were closed, including the former Ahmanson Ranch property that the state bought for $150 million in 2003 for parkland. Smeck said many residents have been concerned about wildlife that fled into residential areas to escape the fire. ``We've got lots of reports of animals that scrambled into the residential areas, a lot of mule deer mule deer Large-eared deer (Odocoileus hemionus) of western North America that lives alone or in small groups at high altitudes in summer and lower altitudes in winter. Mule deer stand 3–3. ,'' he said. ``Ultimately the shrub lands will recover and relieve the stress on the animals.'' Officials said they will seed some areas and try in some cases to replace burned-out exotic plants with vegetation that is native to the area. They look forward to wildflowers that often bloom heartily after the ground is scorched scorch v. scorched, scorch·ing, scorch·es v.tr. 1. To burn superficially so as to discolor or damage the texture of. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. . ``It should be a great wildflower season, but it will depend on the rainfall,'' said Marti Witter, a fire ecologist for the National Park Service. The Topanga Fire burned about 24,000 acres, including about 4,000 acres of federal parkland and 6,000 acres of local and state parkland. ``Virtually all of the Ahmanson Ranch burned over,'' said Joseph Edmiston, executive director of the Mountains Conservancy. But he said endangered species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. in the area, including the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. spineflower and red-legged frog, appeared to be in good shape, and firefighters were able to save the historic ranch building and archaeological sites. Eric Leach, (805) 583-7602 eric.leach(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Although scorched, many trees, including the oak above and others pointed out by National Park Service Ranger Marty O'Toole, at left, still stand after the recent Topanga Fire. The fire left the threat of flooding and the promise of spectacular spring wildflowers. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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