We can't predict earthquakes, but in Southern California high winds and low humidity are a clear indication of another potential disaster: wildfire. With gusts of more than 60 mph expected through Saturday, winds can rapidly turn a spark into a fast-moving wildfire.

Irvine Ranch Conservancy has deployed Fire Watch volunteers to strategic locations throughout the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, and cancelled scheduled activities through Saturday. Suspending programs is a precaution, so visitors are not in danger if a wildfire should start. For instance, the 2007 Santiago Fire started near the Augustine Staging Area in Limestone Canyon. Canceling public programs before the severe high winds during that time meant that no visitors were in the area when the fire started. 

Three things you can do to help prevent wildfires: be vigilant, be ready and be careful.

Smokey Bear is right: Only you can prevent wildfires. Even though most people think of wildfires as usually being started by arsonists, many wildfires in Southern California are caused by ordinary people. Either way, since humans cause these fires, we can also prevent them.

Without extreme wind conditions like during Red Flag Warnings, most fires are quickly contained as soon as they start. George Ewan, wildland fire defense planner for Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) estimates that 99% of the fires starting along roadsides, for example, are quickly contained with a minimum of damage and acreage burned. However, it's those few times when a spark is fanned by strong Santa Ana winds that cause the catastrophic wildfires that devastate wilderness habitats and nearby neighborhoods.

Bimonthly event will provide hiking, biking and equestrian access to unique local wilderness areas in Black Star and Baker canyons. 

As rich in history as it is in beauty, the Black Star Canyon area is full of discoveries waiting to be made. On Saturday, October 20, visitors will have the chance to explore both Black Star and Baker canyons during the first official Black Star Wilderness Access Day.

Wilderness Access Days are held regularly in Limestone Canyon and Bommer Canyon, and now the Black Star Canyon wilderness area in Silverado will be open bimonthly for self-guided hiking, biking and equestrian use. Two new trails were recently opened in the area, and were introduced to the public during the OC Parks Wilderness Celebration event in July.

Unique restoration project will help revitalize habitat on  former ranching property.

In the early 1800s, not long after Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola first traveled through the wilderness of Southern California, native habitats began to give way to crops and non-native grasses planted for grazing as ranches dominated the landscape. For nearly 200 years, cattle, sheep and other livestock roamed the hills and were herded through the canyons. Today, Irvine Ranch Conservancy scientists are working to restore the land to a similar state to what it looked like when Portola first set foot in Orange County, with a rusted corral in Bee Flat Canyon serving as link between past and future.

Bee Flat Canyon ranges from Limestone Meadow up to Loma Ridge near Santiago Canyon Road in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. It is a nearly 300-acre area that has been selected as a high priority restoration zone for its substantial need for weed control and its ecological value and strong potential for success. While many different habitat types are being restored in the canyon, the Conservancy's restoration project of Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) may be one of the most visible projects within the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks.