Department of Interior BAER Team Press Release - N
Incident: So Cal BAER Coordination Burned Area Emergency Reh
Released: 11/3/2007
PRESS RELEASE - For Immediate Release
November 1, 2007
BURNED AREA EMERGENCY RESPONSE (BAER) TEAM
BEGINS WORK ON THE HARRIS, WITCH, AND POOMACHA FIRES
The Department of the Interior National Interagency Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team is in place in San Diego County and has initiated field assessments of the impacts to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Tribal Lands within and downstream of the Harris, Witch, and Poomacha Fires. The team's primary mission is to assess potential threats to life, property, and critical cultural and natural resources on federal lands as a result of the recent wildfires. One of the primary concerns is the potential threat of flooding and mud flows. The team's fire assessments will look at emergency stabilization needs for fire effects to federal infrastructure as well as critical cultural and natural resources.
To facilitate rapid assessment of damages, the BAER Team is using a combination of pre- and post-fire satellite imagery, aerial reconnaissance, and ground survey. The team is fully integrated into local agency and tribal resource staffs. Field assessments are expected to take about two weeks to complete.
The BAER assessments are focusing on the following Federal and Tribal lands:
·o U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
·o San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex
·o Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southern California Agency
·o Barona Tribal Lands
·o Inaja Tribal Lands
·o Jamul Indian Village Tribal Lands
·o La Jolla Band of Luiseno Tribal Lands
·o Mesa Grande Tribal Lands
·o Pala Tribal Lands
·o Pauma and Yuima Tribal Lands
·o Rincon Tribal Lands
·o San Pasqual Tribal Lands
·o Santa Ysabel Tribal Lands
·o Bureau of Land Management, South Coast Office
Watershed, Threatened and Endangered Species, Vegetation, Facilities, and Heritage and Cultural Resources have been affected by the fires. Based on the field assessment and consistent with Department of the Interior policy, treatments will be designed to minimize or mitigate anticipated impacts. If the BAER assessment process identifies other issues of concern that are outside BAER policy to address, those issues are being passed on to the land managers, and to other federal and state emergency response personnel. Stabilization efforts are also being coordinated with Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Forest Service, State of California, and local government agencies.
Following field assessments, the BAER Team will prepare an Emergency Stabilization Plan. It is anticipated that the plan will be delivered to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Affairs by late November. Once approved, treatments will be installed as quickly as possible. Department of the Interior policy provides that treatments will be installed within one year from date of containment of the fires and may be maintained or monitored for up to three years. The local land management agencies will be responsible for treatment implementation and maintenance.
For additional information, contact the DOI BAER Team Information Officer Sandee Dingman at 702-423-2372.
