The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District (RSRPD) was just awarded a grant by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to enhance the defensible space along Medea Creek. These open-space riparian areas are wholly owned and maintained by RSRPD. Ventura County Fire Department’s Fire Hazard Reduction Program and Home Ignition Zone guidelines call for mitigation of defensible space within 100 ft’ of structures. There are approximately 75 homes within 100 ft of Medea Creek. The awarded project funds RSRPD’s efforts to mitigate hazardous fuels in this RSRPD-owned open space along the creek. The mitigation work will be performed by RSRPD and/or its contractors.
Because of the extensive cost of environmental studies and permits required for the removal and mitigation of fuels within riparian areas, this grant seeks to reduce the likelihood, extent, and severity of wildfires in Oak Park by removing the hazardous fuels and invasive vegetation in an environmentally compliant and sensitive way (including State Environmental permitting).
The project activities will include removing dead or dying vegetation and burnt materials from a previous wildfire, creating vertical clearances to vegetation, and removing invasive species that are primarily within at least 100 feet of habitable structures and along the Medea Creek watershed.
Since Oak Park is situated at the leading edge of a very high-risk fire severity zone, the proposed improvements will directly impact all Oak Park residents by reducing the risks of fire throughout the region. As the Santa Ana winds approach the zone blowing from the northeast, they are often found to drive the fire toward the vulnerable cities and communities southwest of Oak Park. These communities include Thousand Oaks, Malibu, Agoura Hills, and Westlake Village.
RSRPD has initiated the environmental application process with their environmental consultant for permits. Once permits are issued, the project will be completed in phases over multiple years to ensure compliance with environmental permitting requirements.
The result of the project is that RSRPD is delivering compliance with Ventura County Fire defensible space requirements, and helping to improve the protection of life and property in Oak Park and surrounding communities.
In addition to this new project, RSRPD is engaged in a current project to remove over 85 invasive palm trees within Medea Creek in the northern section of Oak Canyon Community Park south of Bromley Drive. Removal of the invasive palm trees furthers the District’s ongoing fire prevention efforts by removing hazardous fuels from fire-prone areas, which also improves water quality and native habitat within Medea Creek. The Park District worked with environmental consultant Envicom to obtain the necessary environmental approvals and received permits from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to conduct the project. Environmental surveys required that the work be done outside the bird nesting season, between February 15th and September 1st.
