Half of Sedgwick Reserve Affected by the Lake Fire

July 26, 2024, 2:57 pm 1.5k Views 11 Comments

Image 1: Firefighters near Gate 2 of Sedgwick Reserve. Image courtesy of Lyza Johnsen

On Friday, July 5th at 3:45 PM the Lake Fire began near Zaca Lake. Two days later, the fire crossed Figueroa Mountain Road entering Sedgwick Reserve. In the coming days, the fire burned across the northern, eastern, and central parts of the Reserve, stopping less than a mile from the Ranch House.

As of July 25th, the fire is 90% contained, including 100% of the fire line within Sedgwick Reserve. And so it is time to assess the impacts and look toward recovery. It will be some weeks before we are able to estimate the full extent of the damage but here is what we do know:

Three thousand acres of Sedgwick Reserve burned in the Lake Fire. Habitat, wildlife, trees, research plots, cameras, and other vital resources were lost. Roads and trails will need to be assessed before we can reopen our Reserve to researchers, classes, and the visiting public. We have a long road ahead of us, but we are optimistic. To learn more about initial impacts and needs visit our website.

The glass is more than half full. Half of the reserve did not experience this fire including our base-of-operations field station, as well as many important habitat and research areas. Some parts of the the Reserve experienced lower intensity ‘good fire’ which spared many of the trees while removing brush. Furthermore, the fire taking place within a research reserve has provided a unique opportunity for the scientific community to study wildfires and their impacts.

We are also optimistic because we know the power of the community to support Sedgwick Reserve in a time of need. We depend on the support of donors to fund most of our operations and we are in need of gifts to help us with supplies and staffing as we look toward recovery and reopening. Support Sedgwick Reserve Today!

Image 2: Map of burned and unburned areas within Sedgwick Reserve. Courtesy of Frank Davis
Image 3: Thank you firefighters in a UCSB truck at Sedgwick Reserve. Image courtesy of Lyza Johnsen

We are so grateful for the brave firefighters who continue to fight the Lake Fire.
Image 4: A valley oak as the smoke settles at Sedgwick Reserve. Image courtesy of Lyza Johnsen
Image 5: Deer families persist in part of the Reserve that did not receive fire. Image courtesy of Angela Giordani

Thank you for supporting us!

UCSantaBarbara

Written by UCSantaBarbara

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11 Comments

  1. I’ve experienced a lot of fires during my 55+ years of residence in Santa Barbara County, ten of them married to a USFS employee who served as a PIO during fires. Each fire has its own distinct characteristics. This one was notable for the lack of high winds, which helped firefighters mange the blaze. I think we were very lucky in this one. Thanks to all concerned who helped in this fire!

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  2. I think it’s interesting how the University came out with this. It’s an ecological reserve, meant for study. It’s not a museum stuck in time as a “perfect place”, never to be altered by anything. Very preservationist vibe, and not in a good way. Hey, I’m glad no structures got toasted. They lost almost nothing value-wise.

    Wildfires are very natural processes in the west. We know that. This is a great opportunity for them to study post-fire ecology, as was mentioned. It also knocks down a lot of overgrowth. That’s the role of fire. New plants germinate, new things thrive after fire. The whole Smoky the Bear US Forest Service mentality of “fires are bad” has been proven wrong decades back.

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