COMMISSION

Ambient Noise Monitoring Program
Hollister Hills SVRA has had an Ambient Noise
Monitoring Program on the boundaries of the
SVRA since 2002. Initially eight locations were
monitored multiple times per year to get a true
baseline of the ambient noise levels. This evolved
into a program that focuses on selected locations
that are more sensitive or where noise reduction
management practices have been implemented to
ensure compliance. The monitoring sessions are
staffed so that they can identify the cause of any
Sound testing
spikes, which are annotated on a strip sheet. The monitoring calendar is set in consultation
with the Acoustical Engineering Contractor, normally during high attendance months. The
results of these tests are used to guide management in addressing any problem areas.
Fire Program
In the last several years, Hollister Hills SVRA has taken critical steps in building a fire
program. Park staff set up a water truck for use as a water tender and equipped a truck as
a type 6 fire engine (built on a pickup truck frame with a medium duty chassis). These two
pieces of equipment are major components in the park’s goal of building a prescribed fire
program and responding more quickly to fires within the SVRA.
Over the next few years, Hollister Hills SVRA plans to reestablish the prescribed burn
program. Prescribed burns provide many benefits to the SVRA’s ecosystems. In addition
to the ecological benefits, they reduce fuel loading which increases public safety and
decreases the chances of a destructive wildfire.
The fire equipment has also been used to respond to several emergencies. The engine
deployed multiple times to dampen helicopter landing zones in order to prepare for the
transportation of critically injured patients. The engine has been placed on standby multiple
times for deployment on potential fires or on fires that where already burning that could
require additional resources. On October 12, 2015, the water tender assisted Cal Fire in fire
suppression efforts on the Cienega Fire. Because the tender has a shorter wheel base and
is a six-wheel drive vehicle, it was able to reach remote locations that other water tenders
could not. It proved to be a valuable resource in stopping the Cienega Fire, which could
have easily done major damage to the SVRA and surrounding residences.
2017 Program Report 99