22-acre prescribed burn planned in northeast Santa Rosa on Saturday, June 7*
Prescribed burn of grassland and oak savannah may be visible to residents and highway travelers in Santa Rosa, Calistoga, and St. Helena area between 9 a.m. and sunset.
Monan’s Rill community, in collaboration with Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Fire Forward program, plans to conduct up to 22 acres of prescribed burning on Saturday, June 7* at Monan’s Rill on St. Helena Rd, in unincorporated northeast Santa Rosa. The prescribed burn is intended to improve the health of native oak savanna and grasslands, reduce invasive species, and build resilience in the face of wildfire. This is a permitted prescribed burn; please avoid calling 9-1-1 to report smoke from the burn area.
*The burn date is subject to change depending on conditions. Please check Watch Duty for updates: https://app.watchduty.org/i/50053
Photo: October 2024 prescribed burn at Monan’s Rill, credit Erika Lutz, Fire Forward
**Smoke and Traffic Advisory**
The prescribed burn may commence as early as 9 a.m., with firing operations concluding in the afternoon. Residents in the Calistoga, St. Helena, and northeast Santa Rosa areas may notice smoke in the air for up to 10 hours. Travelers on Hwy 101, Hwy 128, and Hwy 29 may see smoke in the air and experience slowing traffic. Smoke may be visible on the ALERT California cameras.
This cooperative prescribed burn will be led by fire practitioners from Monan’s Rill and Fire Forward, with support from Sonoma County Fire District, North Bay Jobs with Justice, Resilience Works, the Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance, and community organizations and volunteers in the Good Fire Alliance. The crew will manage the burn activities during the day and the burn area will continue to be patrolled until all heat has been extinguished.
This burn will be coordinated with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in order to minimize the smoke impacts to surrounding communities. All burning depends on weather and air quality conditions that are favorable for smoke dispersal. If the conditions are not conducive for safe burning, the burn will be rescheduled.
Reducing exposure to prescribed fire smoke Children, older adults, and those with respiratory conditions should consider limiting outdoor activities and using an air filter at home if local air quality is poor. Learn when and where prescribed fires are happening by downloading the Watch Duty notification app. The Watch Duty Rx report with live updates for this burn is at https://app.watchduty.org/i/50053
Tending a different relationship with burning in a fire corridor
Monan’s Rill is an intentional, intergenerational community in rural Sonoma County, California on the traditional territory and homelands of the Wappo people. The Rill had begun reintroducing good fire to the land in the years leading up to the 2020 Glass Fire, which destroyed most of the community’s homes and infrastructure. “After the prescribed burn in 2019, everything looked so charred. Some of us had our doubts about whether this really was healthy for the land,” says resident Thea Maria Carlson in a Made Local Magazine article. “But the following spring, we saw wildflowers and other native plants newly showing up, and my perspective started to shift. After the wildfire, it was dramatic: the prescribed burn area was healthy and green while everything around it was intensely burned. I realized that putting fire on the land is what protected it from the wildfire—that is what solidified my commitment to good fire.”
This prescribed burn is intended to nurture diverse, multispecies, multigenerational ecosystems that will thrive in a changing climate, with a focus on native oaks and grasses. A reintroduction of regular good fire stewards the health and cultural benefits of the land and increases safety and resilience in the face of future wildfires. Learn more at www.monansrill.org and @monansrill.