CDFW and CAL FIRE have joined forces to protect public safety, public access and mule deer habitat.
On a cool, cloudy day in February, CAL FIRE crews ignited dozens of log and brush piles within the Canyon Unit of CDFW’s Truckee River Wildlife Area adjacent to Interstate 80 in Nevada County. The piles were assembled by CAL FIRE teams over the summer – but not before CDFW biologists had carefully mapped out and flagged native bitterbrush stands to spare them from the cutting and burning (See YouTube Video).
“Part of the resources we have on this wildlife area is this bitterbrush plant,” explained Alyson Cheney, Environmental Scientist with CDFW’s North Central Region’s Conserve Lands team. “It is really nutritious for mule deer and has been linked by scientific studies to their survival in the winter. They eat it, they use it for cover and it prepares them for their spring migration. It’s really a crucial resource for deer in the Truckee River area.”
The Truckee River Wildlife Area supports the Loyaltan-Truckee deer herd in several important ways. It serves as a migration corridor but also as wintering habitat and stopover grounds during the herd’s migration between Nevada and California. The herd already is struggling with lost habitat as a result of wildfires and development.
“CAL FIRE approached us about the importance of getting a fuel break on this wildlife area because of the I-80 corridor we’re right next to and the potential for ignition,” Cheney said. “We wanted to make this partnership work, but we also needed to make some nuances to the design to protect the mule deer habitat.”
Creating a fuel break and clearing overgrown fire access roads on the wildlife area will help CAL FIRE fight and suppress catastrophic wildfire while enhancing public access and ensuring the Loyaltan-Truckee deer herd doesn’t lose additional habitat.
“Our partnership and collaboration with Fish and Wildlife on this project is multifaceted,” said CAL FIRE Field Battalion Chief Thomas Smith. “They see benefits for wildlife and the environment right here next to the freeway. And we see benefits on our side for fire suppression and keeping access to areas where we have had historic fire along with creating a fuel reduction zone close to the highway.”
Part of CDFW’s statewide Wildfire Resiliency Initiative, prescribed fire at the 5,300-acre Truckee River Wildlife Area is expected to continue over the next few years as time and conditions allow.
Sidney Fulford, another CDFW Environmental Scientist with the North Central Region lands team, explained that many of CDFW’s wildfire resiliency efforts are carried out with an eye to protect and improve fish and wildlife habitat in addition to public safety.
“Whenever we’re conducting wildfire resiliency projects on state lands, we are definitely looking to balance making our habitats more fire-resilient overall while also maintaining habitat and holding onto parts of the ecosystem that are key for the wildlife out here.”
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Media Contact:
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858