We are excited to announce some new developments at Silverwood Wildlife Sanctuary thanks to funding from the San Diego River Conservancy! The Silverwood Wildlife Sanctuary Wildfire Resilience project will, over the next two years, allow us to:
- Perform fire clearance and brush removal in 65 acres of Silverwood, and maintain 8 of those acres as defensible space
- Hire a part-time Sanctuary Education Coordinator to help develop and present fire-related educational materials, curriculum, and walks/talks
Install a new welcome kiosk at Silverwood to display some of this critical fire information in addition to an updated trail map
This work is an important next step in our wildfire mitigation efforts at Silverwood. Silverwood is located in a CalFire “Very High” Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and was damaged significantly in the 2003 Cedar Fire. While the sanctuary has completely recovered from that event, the threat of fire remains extremely high and our need to prepare and respond has also intensified and requires significant resources. Each year we work diligently to remove invasive plants at Silverwood that can become flash fuels during the dry season and compete with fire-resistant native plants for resources. Through natural propagation of native plants, the biodiversity of Silverwood is actually increasing while increasing the resilience of the sanctuary to wildfire.
We are excited to educate the public about the wildfire mitigation techniques being employed at Silverwood through this program, a first for our organization. We will work with the Lakeside Fire Safe Council to develop outreach materials that will benefit the local community and beyond. We look forward to providing useful resources and information to the more than 2,000 annual visitors to Silverwood, discussing the importance of native plants and ecosystems for wildfire resilience.
Ultimately, this project aims to meet the San Diego River Conservancy Directed Grant Program goals by protecting the natural and scenic beauty of the San Diego River watershed through removing invasive plant species and reducing fire risk. The new welcome kiosk will improve public access to trails, and creating new fire education materials will help to inspire the public to protect our natural resources. All of the project tasks serve to protect and enhance the natural habitats of Silverwood Wildlife Sanctuary. Thank you to the San Diego River Conservancy for making this work possible!
