In light of the LA Fires, the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) released an update for the community on their mitigation of fire risks.
One of the most crucial efforts is fuel reduction. In a press release, EBRPD Fire Chief Aileen Theile shared, “The East Bay Regional Park District works year-round to reduce fire fuels to help keep parks and surrounding communities safe. The goal is to reduce fire intensity to give firefighters a fighting chance when fires do occur.”
In the past six years, personnel focused on fuel reduction increased from six to 23. Funding is a combination of EBRPD funding, voter-approved funding, and state and federal grants.
Currently, the park district is conducting major fuel reduction projects at Anthony Chabot Regional Park Tilden Regional Park. These are in addition to the work done by the 16 person fuel reduction crew and annual sheep, goat and cattle grazing over 86,800 acres of parkland.
The park district shared that firefighters combatted six vehicle fires over the past eight months, and the fire fighters were able to suppress the fires due to fuel mitigation work. EBRPD has 23 professionally trained firefighters, as well as specialized equipment including two helicopters that can drop water on wildfires and remote weather stations that monitor temperature, wind and humidity levels. Additionally, mutual aid agreements with CAL FIRE ensure a quick response.
As mushrooms pop up during the rainy season, the park district has issued an advisory for death cap and western destroying angel mushrooms, which can be deadly to humans and pets. Both mushrooms tend to grow around the roots of oak trees.
The death cap is a medium to large mushroom with a greenish-gray cap, white gills, a white ring around the stem, and a large white sac at the base of the stem. The western destroying angel is the same size and usually has a creamy white cap, white gills, a white ring around the stem that can disappear with age, and a thin white sac at the base.
Symptoms from mushroom poisoning may not appear until up to 12 hours later: They begin as severe gastrointestinal pain and progress to liver and kidney failure if not treated. Pet owners should call a vet immediately if they think their pet has ingested a death cap or western destroying angel mushroom.
Collecting any mushrooms in East Bay Regional Parks is prohibited.
ebparks.org
