Local volunteers were spreading straw mulch for the 47th time in the Butte Fire burn area on Saturday in an effort to protect the Calaveras River and help the soil retain water. Soon that will have to come to a stop.
“It’s going to be too hot and actually unsafe for fire,” said Sean Kriletich, a board member of the marketing cooperative for agricultural producers, Calaveras Grown. Kriletich has been spearheading the erosion control effort in the burn area through donations and the help of volunteers.