Grazing: Natural & Sustainable Wildfire Mitigation
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If you’re looking for a natural, sustainable wildfire mitigation strategy that brings neighbors together, then consider grazing! Community grazing programs address issues of wildfire prevention, safety, community resiliency, and climate equity in a collaborative way, building morale and harmony in rural residential neighborhoods.
Sonoma County resident Bo Laurent and Sarah Keiser of Sonoma Safe Agriculture Safe Schools (SASS) teamed up to highlight the multiple benefits of community grazing for our March newsletter. Check out their article on the Fire Safe Sonoma website here!
Are you a rural resident in Sonoma County and would like to find out whether a Community Grazing Cooperative would work for you? Contact Sarah Keiser! You can also reach out to Bo Laurent to visit her neighborhood project!
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Upcoming Webinar: Thursday March 25th
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Join us Thursday, March 25 at 4 p.m. for a discussion on home hardening with research ecologist and director of the Earth Island Institute's John Muir Project Chad Hanson, Ph.D and wildlife biologist and writer Maya Khosla!
We will discuss home hardening measures which can be implemented on your property now. The conversation will build on previous home hardening and defensible space information, highlighting success stories of residences that survived past fires to share cost-efficient strategies to protect your home. We’ll discuss ways to honor science and protect forests, our most valuable resource to fight climate change, and how to move beyond certain forest fire myths that are impeding progress and threatening communities.
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Sonoma County Home & Garden Show
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Come visit us at the 2021 Sonoma County Home & Garden Show!
This upcoming Friday, March 19th through Sunday, March 21st Fire Safe Sonoma will be at the Fairgrounds for the Sonoma County Home & Garden Show. Stop by our table to say hi and learn how to make your home and garden safer from wildfire through home hardening and defensible space.
Reservations are required. To learn more about the Sonoma County Home & Garden Show, including other participating vendors and COVID-19 safety procedures, visit their website.
If you are interested in volunteering to table with Fire Safe Sonoma, reach out to Roberta MacIntyre.
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FSS Board Member Marshall Turbeville Receives 2021 Wildfire Mitigation Award!
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Please join us in congratulating Chief Marshall Turbeville for receiving the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) 2021 Wildfire Mitigation Award! Marshall Turbeville is a battalion chief with the CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit and fire chief for the Northern Sonoma County (NoSoCo) Fire Protection District (FPD) and is also a Fire Safe Sonoma Board Member!
Congratulations, Chief Turbeville on earning this highest commendation for innovation and leadership in wildfire mitigation and making Sonoma County a safer place.
To learn more about Chief Turbeville, check out the Fire Safe Sonoma Board Member spotlight below!
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Board Member Spotlight: Marshall Turbeville
Marshall Turbeville is a CAL FIRE Battalion Chief assigned to northwestern Sonoma County and also the Fire Chief of the Northern Sonoma County Fire District. Marshall started as a volunteer fire fighter and CAL FIRE seasonal in 1995 while on summer break from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. In 2000, he graduated from Cal Poly with degrees in Civil Engineering and Forestry and Natural Resources, and accepted a full time position with CAL FIRE. Marshall worked at Cazadero, Cloverdale, Occidental, and Santa Rosa CAL FIRE stations, and in 2004 was assigned to CAL FIRE’s Pre-Fire division where he gained experience with GIS including working on fire hazard severity zone mapping and implementing prescribed burns in areas such as The Geysers. Marshall promoted to CAL FIRE Battalion Chief in 2009 and Fire Chief in 2013. He has responded to most major fires in Sonoma County in the last 20 years. His emphasis has shifted to mitigation with prevention, preparedness, response, and decision making for residents. Marshall has helped organize residents into a “Community” using a Citizens Organized to Prepare for Emergencies (COPE) model which is a grass roots effort of neighbor helping neighbor before, during, and after an emergency. He also help develop the Northern Sonoma County Fire District’s vegetation management crew and implemented vegetation management projects including community chipper days and broadcast burning. Marshall believes what we do before an emergency is more important than what we do during an emergency.
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Listos California and California Fire Safe Council Toolkit Cache
Fire Safe Sonoma is thrilled to be selected as a California Fire Safe Council, Inc. and Listos California toolkit and trailer grant recipient! In January Fire Safe Sonoma applied for a grant by Listos California and the California Fire Safe Council (CFSC) for a custom trailer and $10,000 stipend to purchase tools to complement Sonoma County’s chipper and defensible space program. This grant expands Fire Safe Sonoma’s capacity to support chipping and defensible space efforts.
Congratulations to the fellow recipients, including our Sonoma County partners who received the Outreach Toolkit grant also from Listos California and CFSC. This grant provides funds and outreach materials to assist with community education on fire prevention and management:
Visit the CFSC’s website here to see the full list of grantees!
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CAL FIRE Fire Prevention Grants
Fire Safe Sonoma is collaborating with the Sonoma Ecology Center and UCCE Sonoma County to apply for the CAL FIRE Prevention Grant Program. CAL FIRE began accepting grant applications as of March 10th. Contingent upon appropriation from the California Climate Investments, or other fund source, up to $165 million will be awarded. CAL FIRE’s Fire Prevention Grants Program provides funding for projects and activities that address the risk of wildfire, reduce wildfire potential, and increase community resiliency. Funded activities include hazardous fuel reduction, wildfire prevention planning, and wildfire prevention education with an emphasis on improving public health and safety while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Applications must be submitted no later than May 19th, 2021 by 3:00 p.m. Overview of the grant program, application process and workshop details will be posted on the Fire Prevention Grants webpage. If you would like to apply and need help crafting your application, contact Roberta MacIntyre, FSS Board President and CEO at inspect2901@gmail.com.
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Sonoma County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Update
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Fire Safe Sonoma is pleased to announce that the County of Sonoma has begun the process of updating the countywide Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). The existing plan, developed by Fire Safe Sonoma in 2016, is past due for an update and the County has received funding to do just that.
The collaborative process will be led by a diverse group of fire professionals, wildfire science experts and community stakeholders, including Fire Safe Sonoma. Within the next 14 months, the team will produce an update which incorporates new and improved data, lessons learned from recent wildfires, current state-of-the-art hazard and risk analysis, and which broadly addresses wildfire risk and hazard in Sonoma County and will provide a framework for future mitigation efforts.
Fire Safe Sonoma will interact directly with local community groups and bring their input into the development process. Stay tuned for more information as it develops. For more information and to find ways to participate, visit the Sonoma County CWPP website here.
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Strengthening Partnerships
We are passionate about wildfire prevention and outreach and know that we are not alone in this mission. Wildfires don’t recognize jurisdictional or geographical boundaries. That’s why this year Fire Safe Sonoma is strengthening partnerships between other Fire Safe Councils, COPES, CERTs and related groups on the local and regional level.
Here's the latest on what's happening behind the scenes:
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Local Partnerships - Last month marked our first meeting of leadership from local Fire Safe Councils, COPEs and other fire safe communities across Sonoma County to come together and discuss important topics in wildfire prevention. There was a lot of enthusiasm to share information and resources across the County and we will continue to facilitate these meetings in the upcoming months. The next Sonoma County Fire Safe Alliance meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 31st at 1 pm. Are you part of a Fire Safe Council, COPE, or similar group and would like to learn more? Email Cailin Notch at firesafesonomastaff@gmail.com.
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Regional Partnerships - Fire Safe Sonoma is also strengthening our ties with regional Fire Safe Councils such as Fire Safe Marin, the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council, as well as the California Fire Safe Council. On Friday, March 19th we will cohost a meeting with countywide fire safe council leadership representing eight North Coast counties to share resources and information across the greater region. Additionally, we have monthly meetings with our neighbors at Fire Safe Marin to discuss ways to best support each other and partner.
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Fire Safe Sonoma Storytelling Project
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Fire Safe Sonoma is seeking stories from Sonoma County residents to share their experience with recent catastrophic wildfire. If you are a Sonoma County resident who has been impacted by catastrophic wildfire in the past four years, we want to hear from you. To share your story, contact firesafesonomastaff@gmail.com and put “Storytelling Project” in the subject line. In your message, please indicate whether or not you had to evacuate.
Check back on the Fire Safe Sonoma website for more information soon.
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Wildland Fire Assessment Program Resources
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On February 9th and 12th the Oakmont Community came together to sponsor a free Wildland Fire Assessment Program (WFAP) virtual training. The virtual course was open to anyone wishing to learn more about wildfire home assessments.
Attendees learned the fundamentals through live virtual trainings and recorded videos of how to conduct home assessments and how to work with residents to make their property more fire-resilient. If you weren't able to make the free training, check out the materials below:
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Other Announcements + Events
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Webinar: Traditional Use of Fire
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With Margo Robbins of the Yurok Tribe
Thursday, March 25, 7–8:30pm
Join the Sonoma Land Trust for a Language of the Land presentation featuring Margo Robbins, co-founder and executive director of the Cultural Fire Management Council. Margo is one of the key planners and organizers of the Cultural Burn Training Exchange (TREX), which takes place on the Yurok Reservation twice a year. A co-lead and advisor for the Indigenous Peoples’ Burn Network, Margo will speak about the Native American traditional use of fire and its benefits, as well as contemporary adaptations of these practices in a changed landscape. Margo comes from the traditional Yurok village of Morek in Klamath and is an enrolled member of the Yurok Tribe. She gathers and prepares traditional food and medicine, and is a basket weaver and regalia maker. Margo is the Indian Education Director for the Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School district, a mom and a grandma.
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North Bay Forest Improvement Program
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The NBFIP is an incentives program, similar to CFIP or EQIP, that is being offered by The Rebuild North Bay Foundation in partnership with the Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) representing Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, and Napa Counties.
The program is intended for forest landownerships between 5 and 500 acres and will help reimburse costs associated with common forest improvements like thinning, planting, pruning, insect infestations, site prep, and woody residue follow-up treatments. Quality applications will likely already have a forest management plan prepared by an RPF or NRCS conservationist. Project areas funded for work with the CFIP program since 2018, thus utilizing funds from Proposition 68, are ineligible for funding under this program at this time.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis; there is no application deadline. For the application and more information visit Sonoma RCD's website here.
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We're celebrating AmeriCorps Week 2021 and our CivicSpark AmeriCorps Fellow Cailin Notch! Cailin joined our team as a Fellow through the CivicSpark program. She splits her time between the Gold Ridge RCD and Fire Safe Sonoma to assist with wildfire prevention outreach and emergency preparedness efforts throughout Sonoma County and has been instrumental in building the capacity of Fire Safe Sonoma since September.
AmeriCorps engages 270,000 Americans each year in sustained, results-driven service through our AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs. These dedicated citizens help communities impacted by COVID-19, ensure students stay on track to graduate, combat hunger and homelessness, respond to natural disasters, fight the opioid epidemic, help seniors live independently, support veterans and military families, and much more. There are currently 19,000 AmeriCorps members and volunteers serving in California.
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Call for AmeriCorps Fellow Applications
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CivicSpark & Climate Action Corps
Are you a young person who is passionate about promoting resiliency and equity in California? Then consider the CivicSpark and Climate Action Corps Fellowships!
From September 2021 to August 2022, over 120 Fellows will bring energy, commitment, and drive to support communities across California tackle their climate and community resilience issues while gaining professional experience!
Fellow applications for the 2021-22 Service year are OPEN!
Priority Application Deadline will is March 30.
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GrizzlyCorps
GrizzlyCorps is dedicated to helping rural communities plan for and implement two of the most promising solutions to the climate crisis: regenerative agriculture and forest resilience. During the upcoming September 2021 -August 2022 service year, GrizzlyCorps Fellows will be placed in rural farming or forest communities around California to work on projects that support regenerative agriculture or forest resilience. Fellows gain valuable career experience in cutting edge climate work, develop professional contacts, receive a monthly stipend, and earn a $10,000 educational award. GrizzlyCorps is looking for upcoming and recent college graduates who want to gain real-world experience in the sustainability and resilience fields, and make a lasting impact. The GrizzlyCorps Priority Application is open and currently accepting applicants. For more information find an FAQ on our website or contact us directly at michelle.feng@berkeley.edu.
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Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Plan StoryMap
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The County of Sonoma and participating jurisdictions are in the process of updating its Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan in 2020-2021 per the five-year update cycle required by FEMA and the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. Part of the plan update is the creation of an online StoryMap. The StoryMap reflects the current status of the Hazard Mitigation Plan Update process, as of February 2021 and provides information about the planning process, identifies community involvement opportunities and presents updated hazard and risk data.
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The County of Sonoma Roadside Chipper program was implemented in 2014 and has supported hundreds of county residents in creating defensible space around their homes. Since the program’s inception, there has been an increase in the use of the program by county residents working towards increased fire safety. Last year, the free roadside chipper program started on May 4, 2020 and continues to operate based on available budget, which is driven by community demand for the service. The program operates on a “first come, first served basis”. The budget was initially funded in July 2021 at $170,000 for the Fiscal Year 2020/2021 but during budget deliberations one-time adjustments were made to the budget and the Fiscal Year started with $400,000.
The program opened for applications March 1, 2021. Chipping will take place beginning April 1 on a first come first serve by zone basis. The County also has community based assistance days on their schedule and will resume the normal process around those dates. Please read the guidelines online before submitting an application. For further information and to sign up for the program, go to Permit Sonoma's website here.
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We are so grateful for a generous donation from Julie Solomon Atwood at the HALTER Project for $2,500! This contribution is in addition to a previous donation from the HALTER Project in 2020 for $500.
Julie Solomon Atwood lives in Glen Ellen and has been a disaster safety and preparedness advocate for a long time. In 2014, she founded The HALTER Project, with dual missions of providing Animal Technical Rescue training and equipment to regional agencies, and helping communities prepare for disasters.
The HALTER Project has become a go-to resource for reliable, current information and tools to help people keep their animals, and themselves, safer and ready. Julie is a FEMA ICP Award recipient for both Individual and Community Preparedness, and a volunteer with 3 CERT and 4 Community Animal Response Teams. She is a frequent presenter at regional, national and international conferences.
With her husband, Tom, they’ve supported their Atwood Ranch team in Good Fire Alliance,TREX, and other local fire safety activities and programs.
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Oakmont Village Association
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Thank you so much to the Oakmont Village Association for their generous contribution of $3,500! Their donation helped make the recent Wildland Fire Assessment Program (WFAP) virtual training possible. The Oakmont community played an invaluable role in the creation of the training curriculum. We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to continuing to work together in the future!
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Donate!
If creating a more fire resilient Sonoma County is important to you, please consider donating to Fire Safe Sonoma. Thank you for your support!
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Images provided by Cailin Notch, Roberta MacIntyre, Sarah Keiser and Bo Laurent, The Sonoma Land Trust, and Juile Soloman Atwood
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