By Tony Hicks
Bay City News
California State Parks, Cal Fire and local fire agencies will conduct prescribed burns in the Mitchell Canyon area of Mount Diablo State Park one or more days between May 13 and June 7.
State park officials said that if weather or vegetation conditions aren't conducive for burning and smoke dispersal, the burn will be rescheduled.
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Visitors should expect park closures during the burn, including the park entrance at Mitchell Canyon and access point at Regency Drive.
The following trails will also be closed: Mitchell Canyon Fire Road, Bruce Lee Road, Water Tower Road, Murchio Road, Oak Road, Coulter Pine Trail, Mitchell Rock Trail, Back Creek Road, Regency Trail, Donner Canyon Road and Clayton Oaks Trail.
Other park roads, trails, and facilities outside of the burn area will remain open. For a current list of all park closures, the public can visit parks.ca.gov/Incidents.
The burn will cover up to 45 acres in the Mitchell Canyon area. Although prescribed burns produce significantly less smoke than wildfires, communities near Mount Diablo, including Clayton, may experience smoke from the burning operations.
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All burns are coordinated and planned with the help of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and California State Parks will coordinate with the air district to minimize smoke in surrounding communities.
The burns aim to benefit the park and its neighbors by enhancing habitats, managing invasive species, reducing wildfire risk, reducing encroaching woody vegetation, improving wildlife habitat, promoting native plant diversity and restoring the natural fire regime.
Park staff will be available to provide information and answer questions at an online open house session on from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on May 9 at https://bit.ly/44oGsv3.
For more information and specific timing of burn days, people can visit Mount Diablo State Park's prescribed burn web page at https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31554 or the park's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MountDiabloStatePark.
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