1. Highlands Ridge - Gamboa Road
a. trash pickup
b. water bars on hand lines, but we will mark location and angle of water bars.
c. we will do road work with our own tractor (this road is a long-term experiment in road maintenenance, and we need to have complete control over road work).
d. reseeding not necessary - natives will come back - except parts of the ridgetop. These areas should be reseeded with native plants with origin at Big Creek*. Follow-up thistle control for 5 years will be necessary.
e. we have seen no impact to arch. sites

2. Dolan Ridge Fire Line
a. corral road is a major source of trespass problems and erosion. We controlled this by allowing the road to fill in with native plants such as Ceanothus, Baccharis, and poison oak. Now the road is wide open, and until it grows back there will be a serious problem. Rehabilitation should include installation of a substantial chain-link-type gate at the top end of the corral to discourage trespassers (we will assist in placement and design), and repair the road so as to stabilize it. This will require use of a maneuverable grader such as an easy-boy to establish a stable grade and construct water bars. The road bed should be reseeded with native plants with origin at Big Creek*.
b. on the Dolan Ridge bulldozer line, there will be a serious problem with erosion and weed infestation (mainly thistles) unless corrective action is taken. An excavator needs to be taken over the entire line, pulling soil and rock back to its original position. The soft dirt then needs to be compacted (perhaps in many cases this can be done by the excavators treads) and native grasses reseeded (their origin must be Big Creek)*. Water bars should be dug in appropriate spots, we will mark the spots after the replacement and compaction has ocurred. Follow up thistle control must be undertaken at least twice a year for the next five years (mid spring and early summer are the best times).
c. trash pickup
d. no archaeology sites seem to have been affected as yet, although several are present in the area.

3. Aerial reseeding should not be undertaken. Reseeding after the 1985 Rat Creek fire had extremely adverse consequences on habitats and organisms (and research) and this mistake should not be repeated.

4. Information for long term studies of the region, and planning for the next fire.
The Big Creek library is an appropriate repository for information and records. Copies of BARE report should be placed in the reserve library, as well as hard copies of the fire progress maps. We also have mapping software (arcview and mapinfo) and copies of any compatible GIS files should be placed in the reserve library.

5. Cone Peak Research Natural Area. A researcher from UC Davis, Jeff Kennedy, has completed a vegetation analysis of the RNA-Big Creek transect, and is planning post fire follow-up studies. He may have special rehabilitation needs not expressed here.

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*genetic integrity of plant and animal stocks is of utmost importance at a research site such as Big Creek Reserve. Some Big Creek native grasses such as Nasella and other genera have been cultivated by native plant nurseries and may be available commercially.

please submit comments to jsmiley@cats.ucsc.edu