Smoke will rise on both sides of Highway 1 at Año Nuevo State Park this fall, as crews prepare to burn roughly 145 acres of coastal prairie habitat at Cascade Ranch on the ocean side of the highway, while a separate 15-acre cultural burn is planned just inland in cooperation with a tribal land trust. The larger burn will affect the section of Whitehouse Creek Trail that runs from Highway 1 down to the beach, temporarily altering access for hikers who use that stretch to reach the coast.
The burns were announced in a post from CAL FIRE CZU
, which describes itself as the CAL FIRE San Mateo – Santa Cruz Unit, retweeting a message originally shared on October 9.
California State Parks regularly uses broadcast burning during autumn weather windows to cut wildfire fuel loads and encourage native plant growth across its coastal units.
Burn Plans at Año Nuevo
The plans include a 145-acre burn targeting coastal prairie habitat on the ocean side of Highway 1 and a 15-acre cultural burn inland within the Quiroste Valley Cultural Preserve, in partnership with the Amah Mutsun Land Trust.
The planned cultural burn in Quiroste Valley is being carried out in cooperation with the Amah Mutsun Land Trust.
Native Plant Restoration
The Amah Mutsun Land Trust established a native plant propagation program at Cascade Ranch on Año Nuevo Point to cultivate native grass and forb seeds for reintroduction after burns, according to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.
Trails and a Ranch With a Dairy Past
Hikers planning coastal trips should note that the Whitehouse Creek Trail runs from Highway 1 to the beach and will be affected by the planned burn.
The region's dairy history includes a Steele and Dickerman operation.
A Tribal Land Trust With Growing Reach
The Amah Mutsun Land Trust works to restore and steward ancestral lands. Hoodline previously reported on a renaming push at Fremont Peak, where Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Chairman Valentin Lopez has advocated for greater state recognition of tribal land history, a separate effort in San Benito County.
