The report below addresses how natural phenomenons have influenced the Los Angeles Station Fire 2009, it also focuses on the threats that the fire has brought to wildlife and human-beings.

The Angeles National Forest (ANF) is a mountainous habitat that is situated in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles County. During the autumn season of 2009, the overall condition of the ANF environment was as usual dry with high temperature and low humidity, which allowed a high rate of evapotranspiration to occur, further maintaining the conditions of the dense and dry mixed chaparral of at least 50 years old in the area, they were extremely flammable. On the 26th of Aug, the notorious mountain fire named Station Fire initiated in the ANF, burning a total of 160,577 acres of land, destroyed 209 structures including 89 homes, killed two fire fighters, and also created massive debris that are still impacting the natural environment and wildlife in the aftermath of the event. The above map displays natural features, such as river, streams and the topography within the perimeters of a four-day span of Station Fire progression. The effects of the fire itself and the byproducts produced by the Station Fire on wildlife and the welfare of humans in L.A. County will be discussed in this report.

The Station Fire was one of the most intense and devastating fires recorded in the history of Southern California. The debris produced by the fire has terminated numbers of fishes’ lives in the streams of the affected areas; furthermore, just the smoke and fire itself have killed a high number of wildlife on land, some large animals were shockingly killed too. According to an article written by Donna Barstow, a L.A. Times reporter, scientists were startled to see the deaths of big animals such as bears, dears, coyotes, bobcats, and foxes. “Normally, we rarely see big mammals like this after a fire, because they’re able to outrun it. In my 20 years of experience, this is one of the worst,” says Kevin Cooper, a biologist with the US Forest Service. What may be the reason that caused these deaths, why weren’t big animals able to outrun the fire? In the ANF, near the Angeles Crest Highway (Hwy number 2 on the map), the slope percentage ranges from 33 percent to 67 percent; in addition, there are several narrow valleys along the highway, some of the slopes range from 900 to 1,680 feet in length. The valleys and ravines are visible as the blue lines on the map; notice the difference in elevation indicated by the extreme colors of blue and pink in the area. Cooper believes that the Station Fire often ran uphill on these slopes and even animals as big as dears would find it difficult to outrun a fire that moves uphill 16 times faster than it moves on flat land. The distinctive topography of the Angeles National Forest is one of the main reasons for the destruction and speed of the Station Fire.

Just as the Station fire had finished devouring wildlife and forests, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had announced the arrival of El Niño, a climate phenomenon in which the warming of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean has significant influence on global weather. The El Niño phenomenon is known to bring winter storms to areas causing intense floods and mudflows, which carry sediments and polluted materials from urban runoff through creeks and rivers to our local bay areas. This effect may be amplified when the land is devoid of vegetation due to the forest fire. Vegetation on land play an important role of strengthening soil and holding rocks together; however, as fire takes away this important element, it would produce loose soil that is prone to becoming mudslides. Hard debris and suspending rocks in mudslides are what people fear may leave all marine life in shreds. According to Randal C. Archibold, an author of an article, “Scientists have found that ash particles in the streams can shred the fish’s gills and drive up the water’s alkalinity, possibly affecting reproduction and setting the stage for die-offs” (2009). On the other hand, not only will marine animals be vulnerable to these debris attacks, wildlife on land will also be under the same influence. These mudslides, depending on their viscosity or thickness, can travel up to 85 kilometers per hour; no animal can outrun these slides, especially given their steep mountainous habitats. Winter rainfall could easily loosen the fragile soil structure and form mudflows that could kill both marine and land animals.

As we all know, Los Angeles is a very diverse world class city, with great masses of land reserved for the entertainment business and also for the famous beaches along the coast lines; as a result, these attraction sites are constantly packed with people. However, debris from the Station Fire has contaminated some of the streams and might eventually affect tributaries that spread across the county, making it no longer safe for people to enjoy the beach. Referring back to the map, we can see that there are large numbers of main streams and rivers present in the Station Fire perimeters; for example, the Fox Creek, Clear Creek, and the Winter Creek. In addition, the starting point of the fire was close to many of these rivers, especially the West Fork San Gabriel River, extending along these streams and covering at least half of the length of them. This suggests that large amount of debris and decomposing material could be easily carried along to all sorts of places by these mass networks of rivers. Also, note how the slope of the mountains determine the flow direction of streams; in many cases, these tributaries (indicated in dark blue on the map) are flowing towards and within the populated areas of the urbanized city of L.A. (indicated in turquoise on the map), proposing the high possibility of the transfer of toxins and bacteria from the realm of Station Fire to people and wildlife. According to some research, harmful microorganisms can travel along streams and find their way to our coastlines, polluting them, and forcing the authorities to close the beaches. Transporting through rivers and streams is one of the most direct ways for bacteria in debris to come in contact with humans and animals across the county.

In conclusion, the Station Fire had such strength and perseverance because the steep mountainous land had allowed fire to expand in a much faster tempo; also, the high gradient of land had minimized the chance for wildlife to escape in time. Furthermore, in the aftermath of the fire, we continue to see damage being caused by the fire, this is because the debris produced in the burning plus climatic intervention (El Niño phenomenon) causes landslides which kill more animals and transfer toxins to recreational areas where humans visit. In order to prevent similar events from happening again, I believe that we should implement stricter laws regarding the use of cigarettes and the disposal of tinder in mountainous areas.

Workscited

Archibold, Randal C. “After a Devastating Fire, an Intense Study of Its Effects.” 2 Oct. 2009. Web.
21 Nov. 2010.

Barstow, Donna. “Too Many Big Animals Died in the Angeles Station Fire.” 9 Nov. 2009. Web.
21 Nov. 2010.

Kharaghani, Shahram. “Los Angeles Prepares for Tricks and Treats This Rainy Season.” Web.
21 Nov. 2010.

Sahagun, Louis. “Angeles National Forest Fire Takes Toll on Wildlife.” 1 Sept. 2009. Web.
21 Nov. 2010.

Topinka, Lyn. “Debris Flows, Mudflows, Jökulhlaups, and Lahars.” 22 Feb. 2005. Web.
21 Nov. 2010.