Bluebird Day: Burning Murphy Meadow

As a newcomer to the Sierra Nevada, I am learning a lot about what types of restoration work and environmental issues are relevant here. Below is a blog post that I wrote for the American Rivers blog, which you can check out here.

Fire and water: two elements necessary for life, remedies for one another, and contradictory. And in this case, important factors for improved downstream water quality.

American Rivers staff recently helped organize and oversee a controlled burn at Murphy Meadow. After a few years of hard work to align schedules and obtain burn permits, “Burn Day” was upon us and, cameras in hand, we chattered excited as we drove to meet the contracted firefighters.

Murphy Meadow, high above the South Yuba River Canyon, is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills and hosts a variety of interesting creatures—I spotted a Sierra Alligator Lizard and a bobcat in the half-day I was there watching the burn. In addition to providing invaluable wildlife habitat, meadows sequester carbon and improve the water quality of rivers.

Performing prescribed burns of these areas can be traced back to the Native Americans of the region, who would systematically burn small patches of land in order to clear brush and understory growth. Ron Goode of the North Fork Mono tribe describes why cultural burning is one solution to the drought.

But with development of rural areas and changes in fire management policies, setting fire to any area has become more and more challenging.

Increased wildland fire suppression has inevitably led to meadows slowly being overtaken by conifers, turning into forested landscapes, rather than open spaces that offer unique habitat. Better management of river headwaters sites can mean improved response to climate change and increased water supply reliability—both major benefits for drought-ridden California.

Clear of invasive species, pine needles, and dead, woody debris, the meadow is now a canvas of potential for new growth. In just several months, the meadow will show signs of new life: the beginning shoots of the many native grasses and wildflower seeds that we planted will add greenery and color to the charred mounds of deergrass.

Controlled burning is just one way American Rivers is working to restore meadows, which are often sites of river headwaters. Fire will bring life to this landscape again. And I can’t wait to see what it looks like.