In late May, the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians' Fire Department and Natural Resource Department hosted a cultural burn at the Tribe's Campground. On today's blog, Noah Trujillo shares an update about the cultural burn and how the Tribe is leading research through the Indigenous way of knowing, observing, collaborating, and working towards the benefit of the community.
Restoring the Lands
An update from the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians
Prepared by Noah Trujillo
On May 30th, 2024 The La Jolla Fire Department and Natural Resource Department hosted a cultural burn at the La Jolla Campground in site 6. Our goal was to bring awareness and educate our people and the surrounding communities, tribes, and their organizations about the benefits of what can come from doing a cultural burn. Some benefits include healthier regrowth of plant life, richer soil, and reduced chances of wildfire. This practice was put to a stop for a little over 200 years. However, this has been changing over the past few decades and cultural burning is again becoming a practice for tribes all over.
When most people think of fire it's usually not a good thought, which is understandable we've all at least once in our life have been affected by a wildfire. By doing the cultural burn we aim to challenge the fear of fire and promote sustainable land management practices. We were able to invite community members, tribal members, and other guests from a few different environmental agencies to observe from a safe distance. This allowed us to show that there is a safe way to burn a fire in a controlled setting that is safe and will have many benefits in the future. One of the terms we like to use is "Good Fire".
The Briefing
One of the first things that takes place before the burn begins is the briefing by the Burn Boss. In the picture above you can see Fire Chief Wes giving direction to all the different State, Federal, and Tribal organizations that came to learn and help with this cultural burn. The Burn plan and the Forecast will be dispersed to all the captains involved so everyone will know what the game plan will be for the day.
Igniting
The photo above shows the Natural Resource department field crew igniting the flames which is the process of getting the burn started. Followed by the Cal Fire crew maintaining the Fuel Break (hand line).
Weather Forecast
In the picture above, you'll see Chief Wes going over a list of what needed to be checked every 30mins that way the burn can continue. If the temperature reached 80 degrees we would've had to stop igniting the fire. If the winds reached over 10 miles per hour we would've had to shut down.
Why Research?
Because cultural burning was prohibited for so long, and the indigenous people were assimilated into western culture, education, food systems, and employment by force, a lot of knowledge was forgotten. We conduct research through the indigenous way of knowing, observing, collaborating, and working towards the benefit of the community. As we understand that when the land is healthy, it is plentiful, and provides for all its inhabitants.
There are 3 main experiments in progress to monitor the effects of low intensity cultural burning on:
Plant diversity and abundance
Soil microbiology diversity
Goldspotted oak borer, an invasive oak tree killing beetle.
To inform and educate campground visitors, the Tribe installed signage in English and Spanish about the cultural burn area. Click the images above to expand.
We would like to thank everyone who came out and helped make this project happen. It's been a long 4 years of preparing and ensuring everything was planned accordingly, with the BIA, state, and federal requirements. This project is funded by the Natural Resource Conservation Service and the San Diego State University CNNCTS Grants, and funding to support the fuel crew is provided by the California Department of Conservation, Climate Science Alliance, and the Greater San Diego Resource Conservation District.
This blog is available as a PDF document, linked here.
CNNCTS puts adaptation into action by investing in community-led stewardship demonstration projects. These established projects support co-stewardship and intertribal collaboration.
Learn more about the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians and their role in CNNCTS here.