Why sprawl is bad

View from the Office

From Santa Barbara '09

Hard-to-beat view at the Coastal EcoVentures office, for the Spring quarter. I can see the latest campus point conditions, and if I peer around the corner, I can just see the Black Pearl bobbing happily in the anchorage, and right below, the joggers running along the bluff.

Too many people have beautiful views but keep the shades drawn because of the glare on the computer screen. The trick with windows and computers - keep them at 90 degrees from one another. Or perhaps it's just lucky orientation...

Marine Layer dampens the fire

Funny story from a couple who were evacuated from their Painted Cave home.

I talked to them as they were hanging out in their rusty RV by the beach - said they're having a grand time (they're lucky to have a "mobile home" to escape to!). So the story is, they were at the full moon drum circle night before last, and asked the blind guy who does "divining" to bring in the marine layer and dampen the fire.

"What direction do you want the wind to come from?" the blind guy asked, and they responded, "No wind, just calm, damp air!" "Ah, ok." A few hours later, at 2am some cool moisture was felt in the breeze - "It arrived! The marine layer is here!" like some VIP guest to a classy dinner. Ironic enough, as most people detest the foggy grey layer that pervades Santa Barbara in the summer mornings; but everyone is welcoming it now. What would be of light if there was no dark??

"Yeah we went back to check on our house last night, there's parts of the freeway like a lunar landscape, just charred" the RV friend mentioned. I remember from Applied Ecology: big infrequent fires are catastrophic to the ecosystem, but small regular fires are actually great for biodiversity. "The Chumash used to do controlled burns all over the mountains, to protect the oaks from fungus, and get rid of underbrush so the medicinal plants can grow - and keep big fires like this from happening." Do we need a different approach, controlled burns instead of just one mantra, prevention? Can people handle that?

Well, the marine layer is here, thanks to the diviner, and the fire is now 40% contained, after burning ~80 homes, and costing $7MM. The blind guy should have been summoned earlier....

Ash on Water

Ash fell like snow Thursday night, after the Jesusita brought another evening of mayhem, and created dark swirls on the sea surface.

Last year, several months after the Zaca fire in the backcountry, a big wind kicked up the ash and deposited it on the coast - everyone thought there was another wildfire. But nay, it was just wind-blown ash from the last one.

The many lasting effects of fire: on hydrology (flooding), sedimentation (erosion), soil (nutrients) - which is one bright spot in this whole equation.

Volvo Ocean Race

In a different part of the world...

Great photos of the Volvo Ocean Race in China and Brazil (thanks Dylan!)
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/05/the_volvo_ocean_race.html

Great combination of modern racing technology and traditional adventure, sailing around the world with speed and endurance.

http://www.volvooceanrace.org/

Jesusita fire grows and grows...

Everything that could go wrong seems to have gone wrong - the sundowner blowing down the mountains in gale force, the air was so warm I would've have slept with the windows open, had it not been ash making its way westward. I feel safe but useless at the same time.

Evacuation areas now increased all the way to Goleta - here is the County map.

Jesusita by night

Jesusita fire scatters around the foothills of Santa Barbara (source unknown)

Some of the "evacuees" are friends at the Bren school, staying around at campus till late, where we can watch the fire from upwind, clear air free of ash, smoke, traffic jams, and chaos. Everyone is in a disjointed condition. I paddle back to the boat around 11pm, watching the spot fires lighting up the mountain, the moon is bright and full, everything is intense. Even my anchor has dragged because of the gale winds, which I'll have to re-set soon...

Resources:
UCSB website - http://www.ucsb.edu/campus-update/jesusita-fire.shtml
Santa Barbara County Web - http://www.countyofsb.org/ceo/dept0.aspx
KCSB 91.9 FM - www.kcsb.org
KEYT TV - www.keyt.com
KSBY TV - www.ksby.com
KCOY TV - www.kcoy.com
SB Independent - www.independent.com
Santa Barbara County Chapter of the Red Cross - http://www.sbredcross.org/

Jesusita Fire

From Santa Barbara '09

View of Jesusita Fire from UCSB looking towards Santa Barbara - note the Black Pearl at anchor on the right side of the frame. Photo: Scott Webb

Wildfire above the hills of Santa Barbara, just raged out of control this afternoon due to the 50mph+ winds and hot air. Houses are on fire.

Third fire in 12 months, even people downtown have evacuated twice this year. Incredible. In November '08 the Tea Fire burned above Montecito and in July '08 the Gap Fire above Goleta.

I watched the flames from the boat, sitting at anchor last night. Warm gusty winds, aircraft flying overhead to dump water, people losing sleep as they picked up their things and evacuated. Like my professor this morning, wondering if his 200 paintings would survive the next 24 hrs, or my project colleague, who packed everything into his Subaru last night.

I never expected that living on the boat would somehow be more secure than living in a home... but that is certainly the case right now.