BajaNomad

All To the Rescue of Mulege Oasis meeting

Mulegena - 6-14-2014 at 02:40 PM

Since the fires that burned our palm orchards last month there's been a remarkable community effort to restore our natural oasis. We're doing so with the guidance of state and federal regulatory guidelines including the assessment by CONAFER, the National Forest Commitee.

This just in from committee spokeperson Raffita Romero: ALL MEMBERS AND INTERESTED PERSONS OF THE "ALL TO THE RESCUE OF THE MULEGE OASIS" COMMITTEE: THERE WILL BE AN INFORMATIVE MEETING THIS COMING MONDAY JUNE 16 AT 7 PM IN THE PATIO OF MINITA'S INTERNET CAFE.

A REPRESENTATIVE OF CONAFOR WILL BRING GOOD NEWS TO OUR OASIS. THE MEETING IS OPEN TO WHOEVER WISHES TO SHARE SUPPORT IN THE RESCUE OF THE OASIS OF MULEGÉ.

shari - 6-14-2014 at 02:58 PM

I hope there is a good turnout....please keep us posted on the good news!

BajaBlanca - 6-14-2014 at 04:44 PM

Now that sounds like an important meeting. Best of luck.

willyAirstream - 6-15-2014 at 05:43 AM

Everyday since the fire, there has been at least 50 people , all volunteers, cleaning up. A local rancho donated his dump truck to our group for dump runs. Ladies are bringing sweets and water to the volunteers. It is a huge continuing effort, palm frong by palm frong. Mulege is a proud pueblo.

805gregg - 6-18-2014 at 10:42 AM

I hope you get the fronds also

willyAirstream - 6-18-2014 at 11:25 AM

The cocoa palm trees ,{ less than 20% of the palms?}are being trimmed for free as these frongs are valuable. Several people have paid for small areas of the date palms to be trimmed and hauled off to the dump, except the green ones which are gathered for cow feed.

Udo - 6-18-2014 at 11:36 AM

Don't they use the dead one to make palapas?

Mulegena - 6-18-2014 at 11:41 AM

I attended the meeting on Monday night along with other concerned citizens of Mulege.

Various agencies were represented including people from San Ignacio. It was noted that we three areas of Baja Sur, the populated natural oasis of Mulege, San Ignacio and Todo Santos, all face similar dangers and, therefore, solutions.

Maintenance of the palm forests is essential. The areas that are in the Federal Zone are being cleaned and will be maintained. Still to be addressed are the larger privately-owned palm groves. Ideas as to how to upgrade them into working, productive orchards that would generate economic stimulus was discussed. It was reported how San Ignacio is recovering from their fires and how the community responded to the fires which did burn several homes there.

It was noted that upgrading the available fire-fighting equipment is very desirable and will be addressed along with implementing a working community-based action plan.

cocoscabana - 6-18-2014 at 12:01 PM

Udo...having lived on a beach, we have watched many palapas being built and rebuilt.

The green fronds are used. First they are soaked in the sea water to ?strengthen? them, then they are used green and nailed and wired to the framework. The construction process in itself is a work of art. If you look carefully at the thatching, you will be able to differentiate between good construction and bad. Some construction uses the fronds closer together.

Udo - 6-18-2014 at 12:11 PM

Yes, cocos...I HAVE seen palapas being constructed different ways. I wish I could talk the person who built Osprey's palapa patio in La Ribera to make a trip to Bahia Asunciòn. George has the best palapa I have ever seen!
That roof will go through a hurricane.

Perhaps there is a great palapa builder in Santa Rosalia or San Ignacio that would be willing to make the trip to BA.

So far I can't even get anyone to help align my DIRECTV dish to come to BA.

ElCap - 6-18-2014 at 12:25 PM

Fronds from Fan Palms are used for the thatch of palapas, while the long rigid stipes of Date Palm fronds are often used for the longitudinal framework of palapas. There are a few good palapa builders in San Ignacio, but it is a dying profession. As evidenced in the latest Mulege and San Ignacio fires, palapa structures are highly flammable.

Mulegena - 6-18-2014 at 02:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ElCap
Fronds from Fan Palms are used for the thatch of palapas, while the long rigid stipes of Date Palm fronds are often used for the longitudinal framework of palapas. There are a few good palapa builders in San Ignacio, but it is a dying profession. As evidenced in the latest Mulege and San Ignacio fires, palapa structures are highly flammable.
What palapa structures do you refer to in reference to the recent fire in Mulege palm forests?

chuckie - 6-18-2014 at 03:35 PM

I believe there were none..Didnt Mulege rule sometime ago against new construction of thatch roofs?

Mulegena - 6-18-2014 at 03:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mulegena
Quote:
Originally posted by ElCap
Fronds from Fan Palms are used for the thatch of palapas... As evidenced in the latest Mulege and San Ignacio fires, palapa structures are highly flammable.
What palapa structures do you refer to in reference to the recent fire in Mulege palm forests?
Quote:
Originally posted by chuckie
I believe there were none..Didnt Mulege rule sometime ago against new construction of thatch roofs?
I don't know, but I'll ask around and get back with that answer-- and also find out if the structures that did burn in Mulege's fire were made of palm or roofed in palm thatch.

ElCap - 6-18-2014 at 03:56 PM

I apologize, thought I remembered seeing photos of burning structures with palapa roofs from the recent Mulege fires. We lost some palapa structures ourselves in San Ignacio in a fire in Aug. 2010, but were luckily spared in the recent fires last month. I guess my point is, which few would argue with, is that palapa roofs are highly flammable!

Mulegena - 6-18-2014 at 04:10 PM

No doubt palapa housing and palm roofs are flammable.

There was a smaller fire of some isolated houses in a private orchard near town a few years ago, back about 2006 or '07. They burned up... or down... whichever-- they be gone!

I believe the two tourist zone neighborhoods of Oasis Rio Baja and Huerta Saucedo do not allow construction with palm roofs. Nomads from either of those 'hoods can clarify this. I've got a call in to find about the most recent fire and about the municipal building code. Will update.

Interesting discussion. Thank, everyone.

tiotomasbcs - 6-18-2014 at 04:57 PM

Todos Santos has suffered thru a few past years of Palm Grove Fires. We have many. Teens and Firebugs have been responsible! along with homeless. Cabo and La Paz FD came to help out as it almost entered town! Tio

mtnpop - 6-18-2014 at 07:53 PM

Gotta love looking at the palapa roof houses with the pvc pipe and the lawn sprinkler heads lined up on the ridge...
Let's see, gotta have someone there at the right time to turn them on and hope that SAPA didn't turn off the water that day..
If you have witnessed a palm fire those dry fronds go up in seconds...
Having witnessed both palm fires and pine forest fires I lean to the palm fires being hotter and burning faster...
Of course those lawn sprinklers may allow you to get insurance and if they give you peace of mind these are a big plus ?????
We live in a wild, wacky world we do.....

mtnpop - 6-18-2014 at 08:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mulegena
No doubt palapa housing and palm roofs are flammable.

There was a smaller fire of some isolated houses in a private orchard near town a few years ago, back about 2006 or '07. They burned up... or down... whichever-- they be gone!

I believe the two tourist zone neighborhoods of Oasis Rio Baja and Huerta Saucedo do not allow construction with palm roofs. Nomads from either of those 'hoods can clarify this. I've got a call in to find about the most recent fire and about the municipal building code. Will update.

Interesting discussion. Thank, everyone.


It is our understanding that Leon the owner in the Oasis does not allow palm roofs.... Saucedo "the orchard" does not allow new either and the CC&R's specify when the when the life of the roof is gone they are to be replaced with some type of tile "nonflammable roofing"

In answer to the mini-thread within this thread...

Mulegena - 6-18-2014 at 09:52 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mulegena
Quote:
Originally posted by Mulegena
Quote:
Originally posted by ElCap
Fronds from Fan Palms are used for the thatch of palapas... As evidenced in the latest Mulege and San Ignacio fires, palapa structures are highly flammable.
What palapa structures do you refer to in reference to the recent fire in Mulege palm forests?
Quote:
Originally posted by chuckie
I believe there were none..Didnt Mulege rule sometime ago against new construction of thatch roofs?
I don't know, but I'll ask around and get back with that answer-- and also find out if the structures that did burn in Mulege's fire were made of palm or roofed in palm thatch.


Here's the scoop on the recent Palm fire in Mulege 2014:

There were three houses burned.
One was concrete and had a wood roof with synthetic tile overlay (called maxi-teja).
The other two houses were wooden with palapa roofs-- you are correct, ElCap, and get the gold star for the day!

There is no building code prohibiting construction with palms in town.

chuckie - 6-19-2014 at 05:27 AM

That's interesting, and surprising, no regs re: new construction...Thanks for keeping us "in the know".

Pescador - 6-19-2014 at 07:13 AM

The biggest palm frond fire I have seen was Tripui trailer park south of Loreto that went up in just a few minutes from an overturned bar-b-q grill. They stopped all palm roofs there as well.

ElCap - 6-19-2014 at 07:53 AM

Quote:
Here's the scoop on the recent Palm fire in Mulege 2014:

There were three houses burned.
One was concrete and had a wood roof with synthetic tile overlay (called maxi-teja).
The other two houses were wooden with palapa roofs-- you are correct, ElCap, and get the gold star for the day!

There is no building code prohibiting construction with palms in town.


We own a large property along the river in San Ignacio, and unfortunately have experienced two large palm fires along the river in the past four years. The fire in Aug. 2010 burned down three different wooden structures (w/palapa roofs)that had been on the property for at least 60 years. The damage actually occurred on the second day after everyone thought the initial fire was out, but the wind came up again and ignited some hot spots. The palm forest looked like a bunch of black sticks afterward, but within a year nearly all the palms were green and healthy (albeit with blackened trunks), and heavy with dates. The intense heat did kill a few fruit trees though. We have made a large effort to keep our palms clean on our property since that time, and it seemed to pay off in the most recent fires. Properties that have been kept clean were generally spared from damage, while other areas (both privately owned and in federal zone) that are never cleaned went up in flames more readily.

My partner had an interesting conversation with a 3rd generation San Ignacio resident - her perspective was that previous generations were farmers and they took better care of the land and the orchards in the oasis, and that fires were rare. BUt now many of these properties were left to their children, who have no interest in farming or caring for the land as in past generations, and the palms groves are now full of fuel.

We have to remember that the date palm groves are not a natural or indigenous environment in Baja - the missionaries brought them here, and they have flourished in the oasis regions of Baja. But these same Baja towns now don't have the resources to maintain and protect these areas from the inevitable fires that will come. Hopefully these recent fires in Mulege and San Ignacio have gotten the attention of the right government folks who might be able to help protect these important and beautiful oases (hey, I'm an optimist!).

Does anybody want to buy some delicious San Ignacio dates this Fall . . ? We will have them by the ton!

Mulegena - 6-19-2014 at 08:55 AM

So right you are, ElCap.
Date palms were introduced by the Spanish missionaries. Coconut palms are not native, either. All palms are beautiful but messy.

More to the point, the orchards that were created so long ago are now largely untended. The need for a system of management is recognized and, the overseeing agency is CONFIR which is akin to the forestry service.

ehall - 6-19-2014 at 09:16 AM

How about some before and after pics?

Roasted Date Appetizer

durrelllrobert - 6-19-2014 at 09:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ElCap


Does anybody want to buy some delicious San Ignacio dates this Fall . . ? We will have them by the ton!


Ingredients

12 Medjool date
12 thinly sliced piece of smoked prosciutto
12 teaspoon shredded Fontina goat cheese
Honey and balsamic vinegar
Wild arugula
Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Make a small slice (length-wise) on the Medjool dates and remove the pits.
Fill dates with Fontina fontal then wrap with sliced prosciutto.
Place dates on a baking sheet pan and cook for 15 minutes, or until the prosciutto is crispy.
Place wild arugula on a serving tray and add the dates. Top with goat cheese crumble and drizzle with vincotto or balsamic vinegar and honey.

chuckie - 6-19-2014 at 09:30 AM

STOP THAT!