San Joaquin County Parks Administrator Dave Beadles points to burned tree roots as he gives a tour of the Woodbridge Wilderness Area to the county Parks and Recreation Commission on Tuesday. (Dan Evans/News-Sentinel)

County park commission tours fire-torn Woodbridge Wilderness Area

San Joaquin County Parks and Recreation Commissioners got their first look at the fire-ravaged Woodbridge Wilderness Area late Tuesday afternoon.

Commissioners saw a large swath of cleared land on ground with a mixture of dirt and gray ash — you would have thought that Mount St. Helens had exploded again. Much of the dirt was hard to traverse because it gave, especially where it was mixed with the ash.

"Having been down there several times, it's interesting how it changes from season to season," said Commissioner Mary Mitracos of Tracy.

The Sept. 7 wildfire burned about eight acres, threatened homes in the Del Rio and River Meadows neighborhoods and caused four homes to have minor roof damage when embers landed on them.

The county Parks and Recreation Department and the Woodbridge Fire Protection District have closed the park to the public for at least the rest of the year due to ongoing fire and erosion dangers.

"It's too bad the public doesn't take better care of what it's been given," Commissioner Gersh Rosen of Victor said.

Most of the trail leading from the black iron gate entrance at Meadowlark and River Meadows drives looked unscathed, except for some charred wood where you could still smell the smoke.

Parks and Recreation Administrator Dave Beadles noted that west of the park entrance, there are some wild grapes and some ivy that grew from residential backyards that can increase fuel to an existing fire.

The Parks and Recreation Commission toured the wilderness area Tuesday for two reasons — to view the fire damage and to see the Goldberg property west of the wilderness area.

The Waldo Holt Conservancy, a regional group devoted to acquiring more open space for public use, has asked the county to purchase the 4.5-acre Goldberg property, just west of the wilderness area. The commission will discuss the feasibility of buying the land and opening it to the public at its Oct. 28 meeting.

The Goldberg property, if acquired by the county, would allow the public legal access to Sandy Beach, a popular area along the Mokelumne River that is often accessed by people trespassing on private property.

Sandy Beach is owned by the Woodbridge Sanitary District, Beadles said.

"I think it's beautiful," Mitracos said of the Goldberg property.

It's a whole other thing whether the county will fork out taxpayer money to purchase the Goldberg property.

"It's something that doesn't get used too much," Commissioner Jerry Sexton, of Stockton, said. "I'm not a big fan of it."

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.