Midpen conducts pile burns to improve Sierra Azul fire resiliency

Fire resiliency project

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District will be burning vegetation in the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve through mid-March to improve fire resiliency.

The district is conducting about 50 pile burns to reduce combustible vegetation without having to haul material offsite. The fires will be lit in the mornings in closed areas of the preserve. Crews will monitor the burns throughout the day and make sure they are fully extinguished by evening.

Public trails will not be impacted, but smoke may be visible during  Mondays through Thursdays until all the piles have been burned.

“These pile burns are a vital step in building more resilient open space lands,” said Midpen General Manager Ana Ruiz in a release. “By carefully returning fire to the landscape, we are doing our part to increase the land’s resilience to wildfires and mimic the natural processes that the local ecosystem relies on to thrive.”

Ash and char from the pile burns return essential nutrients to the soil. Some seeds, like those of red maids, soaproot, mariposa lily, island manzanita and chamise, are called fire-followers and need heat or smoke of fire to germinate.

Midpen takes several safety precautions to conduct these burns. Trained biological monitors make sure there is no wildlife in the piles before the fires are lit. The piles are placed in open grassland areas to make sure fire doesn’t catch on the tree canopy, and burns only happen when under strict requirements of wind, temperature, humidity and air quality.

Stars of Los Gatos

The Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for this year’s Stars of Los Gatos Awards.

The awards honor businesses, organizations and individuals for their leadership and service and strengthening the local economy and community. Winners will be recognized at the Chamber’s Shine Among the Stars Gala on March 28.

“The Stars of Los Gatos are the businesses, leaders and community members who make a meaningful difference in the vibrancy and vitality of our town,” said Chamber CEO Jennifer Lin. “This gala gives us the opportunity to recognize those whose leadership, service, and commitment help Los Gatos continue to thrive.”

The Chamber is accepting nominations across several awards categories, including Business of the Year, New or Emerging Business of the Year, Community Impact Award, Los Gatan of the Year and Chamber Champion of the Year. The recipients will be selected by a merit-based review process that considers demonstrated impact, leadership and alignment with the Chamber’s mission and values.

The deadline to submit nominations is 5 p.m. on Feb. 23. For more details and the submission form, visit https://www.losgatoschamber.com/shine-among-the-stars-gala.

The Shine Among the Stars Gala will take place from 5-8:30 p.m. at Nestldown, 22420 Old Santa Cruz Highway in Los Gatos.