UniCamp relocates second session due to persisting San Bernardino fires
UniCamp, a nonprofit summer camp, was forced to relocate again after the San Bernardino fires that forced it to evacuate from its original site in Barton Flats continued to spread. (Courtesy of Michael Starr)
By Jillian Frankel
June 29, 2015 2:00 a.m.
About 200 children and student volunteers at a UCLA nonprofit summer camp moved Saturday to a campsite in Wrightwood for the second session of the program as the San Bernardino fires that forced them to evacuate from their original site continued to spread.
UniCamp student counselors moved the first session of the camp from Barton Flats, a part of the San Bernardino National Forest, to Lake Perris, which is about 40 miles southwest of the original location.
On Thursday, camp leaders decided to also relocate the second session, which began Saturday to Camp Mariastella in Wrightwood, which is about 60 miles west of Barton Flats.
The original site is still intact, but campers cannot return until the smoke clears and fire department officials say the air quality is safe.
The fire spanned about 30,000 acres and was 19 percent contained as of Friday, said Rita Broadnax, a fire information officer for the San Bernardino National Forest. Broadnax said that air tankers normally flown to drop flame retardant and help put out the fire could not be used because officials saw that some people were flying personal drones in the area, which could have caused a collision. A temporary flight restriction for all aircrafts exists over fires.
The UCLA student counselors who host UniCamp take about eight months of training and planning during the school year prior to attending the actual session, but the mandatory evacuation of their camp site before the children arrived required them to alter their plans in two days.
“It’s a testament to the hard work of the students who put on UniCamp,” said program director Michael Starr. “It shows how badly they want to work with these kids.”
Head counselor Stephanie Fang, a UCLA alumna, said the program, now in its seventeenth year, consists of seven sessions and serves about 1,000 high school students. She said for many of the students who participate, UniCamp is their their only opportunity to go on a wilderness trip.
Fang added the counselors would like to return to their original site as soon as possible so that they have easier access to their usual supplies, but must wait until the roads and the campsite itself are reopened.
“Camp River Glen has been where home is for the last 17 years, and it’s where we feel the most comfortable,” Fang said. “Because we’re a nonprofit, going to other camp sites is expensive and the fire has been pretty detrimental to our organization.”
However, she added different organizations have provided assistance in response to the emergency by offering additional camping supplies, which allowed the campers to participate in many of the usual activities.
Starr said UniCamp brings local students to Camp River Glen each summer to inspire them to pursue higher education.
Starr said Lake Perris officials gave UniCamp almost a 90 percent discount to use the site, UC Riverside allowed leaders to use their commercial kitchens to prepare food, UCLA Recreation donated outdoor supplies and a search and rescue team escorted counselors back to the original site to retrieve materials to be used at the new locations.
He added UniCamp officials hope their insurance will cover additional costs resulting from the displacement, although they have already received financial support from private organizations and alumni.
Last year, damage to the campsite’s water tank forced UniCamp to cancel its first week.
Starr said camp relocation during future sessions will be determined on a weekly basis and leaders are not sure where the remaining sessions will be held.
