LAKE COUNTY — Because of the recent fire at the Lake County Land Trust”s Rodman Preserve, the weekly Saturday morning walks will be closed until Aug. 18. The walks will resume on that day at 8 a.m. which is the usual start time.
After assessing the fire impact at the preserve, which is located on Westlake Road off of the Nice-Lucerne Cut-off, the Land Trust board felt that some time was needed for trails to be re-aligned, the smell to abate, and for the dust to settle.
Although perhaps up to 40 acres of the preserve property was burned, permanent damage was minimal. The Nature Education Center house was undamaged and all trail-side benches remain intact.
While many mature oaks were scorched, it is highly likely that they will survive although it is not possible to tell until they re-leaf next spring.
A popular interpretive feature at the preserve, a large, dead, Acorn Woodpecker “cache tree,” also survived as did a large stand of Valley Oak near the water”s edge where numerous wood duck boxes are placed.
From an ecological perspective, the fire may have some beneficial outcomes next spring, since it cleared out accumulated annual grass thatch and has accelerated the return of nutrients to the soil.
“We thank all of the agencies that worked on the fire to protect the Preserve and the house,” Land Trust executive director Catherine Koehler said. “We greatly appreciate their sensitivity to the landscape and their efforts to keep the fire away from the buildings.”
Trust board members were sorry to learn of the damage done to 10 acres of vineyard on neighboring property that at one time was part of the original Rodman Ranch, which was purchased by the Land Trust and the Department of Fish and Game in 1999.
The Land Trust Rodman Preserve Committee will consider opportunities created by the fire, especially the opportunity to better control the invasive non-native weeds and grasses.
Plans including encouraging the growth of current native species on the property and possibly re-seeding some areas with native grass seed collected on-site this year.
For more information about the Lake County Land Trust, go to www.lakecountylandtrust.org, like its page on Facebook or email the trust at LCLT@lakecountylandtrust.org.
