In 2013 the South County Fire Watch program was initiated by a partnership between The Nature Reserve and Audubon California Starr Ranch Sanctuary in collaboration with Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA). Most fire ignitions in coastal California are started by people and commonly near the wildland-urban interface. This program seeks to connect the community to the land by training volunteers to act as lookouts on the wildland-urban interface during Santa Ana wind Red Flag Alerts. Most of know that our worst fires are those driven by Santa Ana winds so it follows that the sooner a fire is detected during a wind event, the sooner that OCFA can respond. Since 2013, 275 volunteers have completed the training program. Seven lookout locations on the wildland-urban interface are staffed in 4-hour shifts. Volunteers watch for natural, accidental or deliberate ignitions. Training is held in August each year, typically at the Ladera fire station. Watch the Nature Reserve calendar for the 2025 date if you would like to join us in protecting our homes and our beautiful Nature Reserve.