Quiet time: 5 little-known nature preserves not far from L A yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Preserves throughout the West are often run by private conservancies. They can be large or small but share a common goal of protecting particular landscapes. “Often, they’re in place to protect certain plants or animals or eco-systems types or special features, sometimes it’s historical or archeological features,” said Nature Conservancy biologist Sophie Parker. As an example, for 50 years, her organization has worked to protect the remote Amargosa River in the Mojave Desert and the native pupfish and Amargosa toads that live nowhere else.
Preserves also reflect an ethos of land stewardship and a strong belief that wild places should be open to the public for free. The Wildlands Conservancy, which manages more than 20 preserves in the West, believes that access to nature is a birthright. One of its core beliefs: “Free access to our preserves removes the socio-economic barriers that tend to promote a disconnect with nature.”
Wildfires in California already nearly triple the statewide average
Redding Record Searchlight
Even though it s only February, California has begun the year with already more than double the number of wildfires than in the first month of 2020 a record-setting year.
And the number of acres burned on non-federal land last month was more than 20 times the state’s 5-year average for January.
While the rain and snow of the past week may make last year’s fire season seem like a distant memory, the numbers are a reminder that wildfires have become more common year-round in California.
During January, there were 297 fires that burned 1,171 acres statewide on non-federal land, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Redding Record Searchlight
It s not supposed to be wildfire season in California. Yet, a month into 2021, the Golden State has more than doubled the number of wildfires in 2020 – a record-setting year with more than 9,600 blazes that blackened more than 4 million acres.
And the number of acres burned on nonfederal land last month was more than 20 times the state’s five-year average for January.
While the rain and snow of the past week may make last year’s fire season seem like a distant memory, those numbers are a reminder that wildfires have become a year-round concern in the nation s most populous state.