Oct. 21, 2024 
UPDATE: The prescribed burn in the Mountain Theater area of Mount Tamalpais State Park and Marin Water's watershed lands has been rescheduled for Wednesday, October 23. This operation is subject to change depending on conditions.   

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Original News Release - Oct. 11, 2024

The following is a joint release from the Marin County Fire Department, Marin Water and California State Parks. 

Marin County, CA – Plans are underway for a prescribed burn on Mount Tamalpais State Park and watershed lands that may take place in the coming days. Burn planners ask the community to refrain from calling 9-1-1 to report smoke from the burn area allowing dispatchers to remain available for emergencies. 

The Marin County Fire Department, in coordination with California State Parks and Marin Water, will manage prescribed fire operations in an area of land spanning both Marin Water’s Mount Tamalpais Watershed and Mount Tamalpais State Park. 

The burn operation will take place near the Mountain Theater on East Ridgecrest Boulevard, between the Rock Spring trailhead and Quarry parking lot, as early as next Tuesday, October 15. The date is tentative as all burn operations are dependent on favorable weather, fuel conditions, and air quality to ensure safe execution and minimize smoke impacts on the surrounding communities. Marin County Fire, California State Parks and Marin Water will announce the specific date of the burn operation the morning of ignition after evaluating these important factors influencing fire behavior. The announcement will be sent to local news media contacts and published to the County of Marin Emergency Portal and all three agencies’ social media accounts, including Facebook, X, Instagram, and Nextdoor. 

Although operations will strictly adhere to the requirements of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the surrounding community may smell or see smoke. Community members should refrain from calling 9-1-1 to report this smoke to avoid overwhelming emergency dispatch lines. Ridgecrest Boulevard will remain open, but it may be subject to short delays due to smoke. Trails through or adjacent to the burn operation will be closed. Visitors are required to heed the closure signs. 

This multi-agency effort wields an important tool in a proactive approach to fire fuel management and a more resilient, ecologically healthy forest and watershed. Prescribed burns are part of the stewardship of biodiverse, fire-adapted ecosystems and are carefully planned to meet strict criteria for ecological benefit, weather parameters, smoke management, and fire safety guidelines. Funding to support this important work is provided in part by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Forest Health Program. The burn will be performed by Marin County firefighters, and active patrols and mop-up of the area will continue for several days following the burn. 

Marin County Fire may coordinate more controlled burn operations with California State Parks and Marin Water this year as the agencies work to bolster the resiliency of wildland areas. This includes the southwestern edge of Mount Tam and the Sky Oaks area. The agencies will inform the surrounding community before any controlled burn operation is undertaken.

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Media Contacts
Marin Water: Adriane Mertens, Communications Manager, 707-328-4304/ amertens@marinwater.org 
California State Parks: Peter Ostroskie, Staff Park and Recreation Specialist, 916-906-2257/ Peter.Ostroskie@parks.ca.gov 
Marin County Fire: Marimar Ochoa, Public Information Officer, 415-521-8108/ mari.ochoa@marincounty.gov