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Contact: Christine Beekman, 415-464-5135
POINT REYES STATION, Calif. – Point Reyes National Seashore fire managers, in collaboration with the Marin County Fire Department, are monitoring conditions for an opportunity to implement a 12-acre prescribed burn west of the cypress tunnel and north of the lighthouse. This burn may begin on Friday, October 20, and is expected to last one to two days.
The National Park Service uses prescribed burning as an effective tool for ecosystem restoration and to reduce the risk of wildfire. The goal of this prescribed burn is to eliminate non-native vegetation from the sand dune ecosystem. This burn will provide other benefits including improved wildlife habitat, improved conditions for native plant species, and reduction of hazardous fuels.
Smoke from these activities may be visible from areas in the Seashore and in west Marin County, including Dillon Beach, Tomales, Marshall, Inverness, and Point Reyes Station. Fire managers are working closely with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) to carefully monitor air quality before and during the prescribed fire and to minimize the impacts of smoke.
Prescribed fire is only implemented under very specific environmental conditions (e.g., wind speed, relative humidity, and smoke dispersion). This burn will be conducted by trained National Park Service and Marin County Fire Department firefighters with a strong understanding of fire behavior. This burn will only be implemented when pre-identified and contingency firefighting resources are available to support safe operations. Firefighters have constructed containment lines in advance and may use engines and hose lays to keep the fire within its planned perimeter. Fire managers will staff the fire until it is deemed secure and will patrol the prescribed fire until it is declared out.
This prescribed fire will only be conducted if conditions are favorable, if not, the burn will be postponed or rescheduled.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 425 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Last updated: October 19, 2023