Sonoma County Parks Update after fires

Community Update
Dear Regional Parks Members and Friends,
With the Kincade fire now fully contained, I want to share an update about its impacts on the Regional Parks.
Foothill Regional Park
The fire significantly affected Foothill Regional Park in northeast Windsor. About 90 percent of the 211-acre park burned, partly from the wildfire and partly from the suppression fires that buffered neighborhoods from advancing flames.
The footage below is from one of Foothill’s trail cameras. It shows fire moving across the park as animals run for shelter and strong winds knock down trees. However, it also shows resilient wildlife returning to the park only hours after the flames subside.
Our natural landscapes will heal with time, as we saw after the 2017 wildfires. This fire burned grass and brush and charred the trunks of Foothill’s iconic oaks, but many of the trees will survive and recover. It’s the man-made park infrastructure that mostly needs our attention now. Since the fire, we have been assessing damaged bridges, trails, fences, signs, tables and other features and making plans to repair or replace them.
We hope to reopen a limited area of the park soon. We know how much Windsor loves Foothill. But visitor safety is our No. 1 priority, so we ask for your patience as we provide phased access. We appreciate your offers of help, and we will host a community workday soon.
Shiloh Ranch Regional Park
The Kincade fire also touched Shiloh Ranch Regional Park in southeast Windsor. Only a small portion of Shiloh burned, but firefighters bulldozed a firebreak inside the park. We plan to reopen part of the park by early next week. Other parts will remain closed until fire lines can be repaired.
Once again, our parks and open spaces protected neighborhoods from a fast-moving wildfire and gave firefighters room to make a stand. 
Helping Community
As in 2017, many Regional Parks staff joined the disaster response, despite many of them being evacuated or living without power. They assisted with door-to-door notifications, evacuated campgrounds and supported the county’s emergency operations.
Many of our staff have been trained in trauma-informed care and are offering interpretation in the parks to help residents make sense of the repeat fire, wind and power outage emergencies. See our calendar for an opportunity to join us on a hike, bird walk other other guided outing.
Finally, the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation has launched a Foothill Regional Park Restoration Fund. These donations will help reinvest not only in restoring the park but also in making it more resilient to future weather events.
We hope this note finds you recovering from your own experience with the fire and power outages. We encourage you to get outdoors this weekend and experience the healing power of your parks.
Be well,
Bert Whitaker
Director, Sonoma County Regional Parks
Sonoma County Regional Parks
(707) 565-2041