Friends, we all know the compassion in helping our children save a weather-beaten monarch butterfly or rescuing an abandoned dog or cat. We do these acts of kindness simply because it’s in our hearts to do.

Devastating, unnatural, human caused fires, severely impacted three of The Wildlands Conservancy’s Sand to Snow Preserves over the past weeks.

Up the canyon creek that descends from the rocky face of Wilshire Peak above Oak Glen, beyond a series of abrupt and unscalable waterfalls, there lives a fellowship of ancient canyon oaks. Among these grows one tree, officially measured and recognized as the largest specimen of all oak species.

At the time of this writing, many of us are stunned at the fact that wildfire effects have touched most people living in the western United States. As many of you may know, some of The Wildlands Conservancy’s Southern California preserves have not escaped this fire season unscathed.

In the early morning hours of September 9th, sight became sound in the Bearpaw Reserve. The El Dorado Fire had crept down from the ridge and was slowly burning through the understory, working its way to within feet of us before being shoveled over or watered down. Occasional flare-ups lit the sky and a persistent tawny glow illuminated our work.

The wildfires consuming California this summer are not only devastating the unique Beauty of the state, they are also releasing record amounts of carbon dioxide into the air, contributing to further climate disruption.

How can you help offset the damaging effects of these wildfires?