Wildwood Park Burn Slated for Discussion
The Ventura County Fire Department is planning a public meeting this week to discuss its controlled burning project in Wildwood Park.
Since 1994, 90 acres of tinder-dry brush in the park have been cleared and an additional 100 acres are scheduled for controlled burning by 2001, according to Terry Raley, wild-land fire officer.
The decision to clear the brush came after fires in 1993. The project is being financed by a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The main idea behind the burns “is to increase defensible space between residences and the park by cutting, stacking and burning the extremely large stand of 60-year-old brush,” according to a statement from Raley.
Residents near Wildwood, along with county fire officials and officials from the city and Conejo Recreation and Parks, agreed in 1994 to meet this year to review and discuss the progress of the project.
County fire crews plan to conduct the controlled burns over the next four springs. They will take place on a Tuesday through Thursday schedule so they will not interfere with weekend park use, Raley said.
The public meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Wildwood School, 620 Velarde Drive, in Thousand Oaks.
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