Burn, babies, burn

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First, a reminder:

AI Overview

Yes, California and Los Angeles authorities have previously halted fire safety and brush clearance projects to protect endangered plant species. [1, 2, 3]

A high-profile clash between conservation and fire safety took place in the Pacific Palisades and Topanga Canyon area, involving a federally endangered shrub called Braunton's milvetch: [1, 2, 3]

  • The Safety Project: The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) initiated a wildfire-mitigation project in 2019 to widen fire-access lanes and replace aging wooden power poles with steel ones. [1]

  • The Interruption: The project was halted within days by conservationists and the California Coastal Commission after crews were found to have trampled Braunton's milkvetch while clearing brush. [1, 2]

  • The Aftermath: The city was forced to reverse parts of the project, pay nearly $2 million in fines, and replant the herbs. [1, 2]

  • Wildfire Destruction: During the subsequent major wildfires that hit the area—such as the devastating Palisades Fire—large swaths of the canyon, including the habitats where the vegetation was preserved, burned in the blaze. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Furthermore, during the initial response to the Lachman Fire (the precursor to the Palisades Fire), state texts and avoidance maps circulated indicating that firefighting and brush-clearing operations were restricted in certain areas to protect the endangered milkvetch populations. [1, 2]

And how’s it going?