Matt Kettmann’s tribute to Santa Rosa Island online was a wonderful tribute to the land. Wish it had been in your printed version for more people to read.
I have had the opportunity to be on all eight of our Channel Islands many times over the last 60 years.
The Santa Rosa Island fire was a horrible, avoidable disaster, but now we must worry. How will non-native grasses and plants be discouraged and natives be encouraged? Hopefully not with massive disrupting activities.
Let us not do more damage in the name of restoration.
The Torrey pines on Santa Rosahave been healthy due in part due to lots of pine duff (needles) on the ground. Hopefully the duff did not burn. Seeds need the duff to germinate and keep the existing trees happy.
As the pine’s large cones mature with seeds, they drop and roll into adjacent gullies. These gullies full of pine cones most likely burned hot and caused more damage to the adjacent trees.
Drone photos already show some yellowish discoloration of pines. These trees and the island do not have any fire history and are not considered a fire-adapted ecosystem. We do not know what the next two- or three-year survival rate will be.
Hopefully all the unique endemic plants and animals have survived to continue growing into our future: Santa Rosa Island (SRI) Torrey pine, munchkin Dudleya, Island manzanita, SRI live-forever, Hoffman’s rockcress, Island ceanothus, SRI fox (breeding season), island spotted skunk, island deer mouse, SRI gopher snake, garter snake, island fence lizard, Channel Islands slender salamander. Townsend’s big-eared bat. Bald Eagle nests too.
Let us not do more damage in the name for restoration.
I am a very worried Island lover.
