FireScape Mendocino Nov. 3-5 Workshop is Postponed to Dec. 2-3, 2015

FS Specialist Explains Wildfire Impacts

at Covelo Workshop Field Trip

Due to the intense wildfire season in Northern California and elsewhere, the FireScape Mendocino planning team has postponed the November 3-5 public workshop to December 2-3, 2015. The workshop will be held in the Paskenta focal area, at a site yet to be determined. Please stay tuned for updates.  

During this two-day event, participants will work in both small and large groups, indoors and outdoors. Guided by the best practices of the North America Fire Learning Network, our collaboration is designed to enable people with diverse perspectives to find zones of agreement where we can achieve tangible results in our communities and the surrounding landscape.

Thanks for your understanding and support.

FireScape Mendocino Planning Team

Update on FireScape Mendocino, Workshop #6, June 10-11, 2015

James Russ, President of Round Valley Indian Tribes Tribal Council, Explains

Recent Fuel Break Project near Covelo

Photo: Don Amador

More than fifty participants met in the 100-degree heat of Covelo, CA to learn and deepen collaborative relationships with various stakeholders including the Round Valley Indian Tribes (RVIT) and other members of this beautiful community.  The FireScape leadership team thoroughly enjoyed exploring the Round Valley area and looks forward to visiting there again! 

Gary Urdahl, Silviculturist for the Covelo Ranger District, Mendocino NF 

Explains Impacts of 2012 North Pass Fire - Photo: Don Amador

The workshop kicked off with a field trip to a RVIT fuels treatment project, where we learned about a recent fuel break project designed to help protect the community in the event of wildfire.  FireScape applauds the work they’ve done and wish them much success with additional projects and looks forward to the possibility of partnering with them in the future.

Group Discussion at Field Tour Site - Photo: Don Amador

After visiting the RVIT project, we moved on to visit areas of the 2012 North Pass Fire on the Mendocino National Forest.  It was interesting to see and discuss the effects of the fire and learn more about the impact this fire has had both the local community and the Forest. 

Recreation Trail Still Closed from North Pass Fire Blowdown - Photo: Don Amador

An unusual lightning storm system hit the region and started over 20 wildfires on the Mendocino, Six Rivers, and Shasta-Trinity National Forests. Those ignitions lent an increased import to our field trip of the North Pass Fire, which burned over 41,000 acres.  Those events created a strong resolve within the group to work together in our efforts to shape the future of our fire-prone landscape. 

BIA Fire Staff Joined Field Trip - Photo: Don Amador

Classroom work on the following day included time for planning “next steps” for the following subgroups:  Air Quality, Creating Fire Ready Communities, Landscape-scale Vegetation Management, Tribal Engagement, and Fire/Recreation.  Lists of ideas on “what makes a good project” and a brainstorming session of potential projects (complete with marking locations on maps) made for a productive day.

Core-team Lead, Chad Roberts, Discusses Forest Management with Group

Photo; Don Amador

The FireScape Mendocino Core Team will meet soon to compile the classroom product, including submission of a list of potential projects, and bring it back to the group’s participants at our next workshop.  Stay tuned!

Tackling Strategies - June 10/11 Workshop #6 for FireScape Mendocino

Please join us in Covelo for the sixth in a series of workshops for FireScape Mendocino Wednesday, June 10th and Thursday, June 11th, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

FireScape is a voluntary collaborative effort to shape the future of our fire-prone landscape in and near the Mendocino National Forest.

Working together, we will emphasize shared learning, problem solving and action on the ground. Taking the next step in this collaborative effort, our goals will be:

• Hear from each of the subgroups set up at the previous workshop (Landscape-scale vegetation management, Creating fire-ready communities, Air quality issues, Increasing tribal involvement in

FireScape) on their progress and next steps

• Allow time for subgroups to continue their work

• Continue to build shared learning among participants

During this two-day event, participants will work in both small and large groups, indoors and outdoors. Guided by the best practices of the North America Fire Learning Network, our collaboration is designed to enable people with diverse perspectives to find zones of agreement

where we can achieve tangible results in our communities and the surrounding landscape.

We need people...... With local community perspectives... Who enjoy outdoor recreation (camping, hunting, hiking, OHV, etc.) ... With perspectives on living with wildfires... Who manage land - whether it’s a ranch, timberlands or their backyard ... With thoughts about community and landscape planning ... With enthusiasm and an interest in the future of our local landscapes

For more information, check out our blog at

http://mendocinofirescape.blogspot.com/

  

Some other examples from around the country can be found at

www.conservationgateway.org

Lunch will be provided both days. There will be a field trip on Wednesday, lasting much of the day and participants should be prepared for changing weather conditions in the

field. The trip will be accessible, not leaving roads or trails.

Location & Dates:

Wednesday, June 10th & Thursday, June 11th

Round Valley Airport

43505 S. Airport Road

Covelo, CA 95428

9:00 a.m. to 4:30 pm

In order to make sure we have food and materials for everyone, we ask that you register by

Wednesday June 3rd. To register, or for more information, please contact Marilyn Perham at

530-897-6370 ext. 200 or by email at mperham@tnc.org

Thank you and we look forward to your participation in this collaborative effort.

Field Notes from Jan. 28-29, 2015 FireScape Mendocino Workshop #5

FireScape Mendocino Workshop 5 - January 28 and 29, 2015

Strategies and Results Chains

Please join us for our fifth in a series of workshops for FireScape Mendocino to be held in Elk Creek Wednesday, January 28th and Thursday, January 29th, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. The meeting is at the Elk Creek Grange Hall, 150 Church Street, Elk Creek, CA

FireScape is a voluntary collaborative effort to shape the future of our fire-prone landscape in and near the Mendocino National Forest. Working together, we will emphasize shared learning, problem solving and action on the ground. Taking the next step in this collaborative effort, our goals will be:

Refine the draft strategies from the last workshop

• Test our strategies with results chains to see if they will really get

   us where we want to go

• Start work in subgroups to tackle strategies

• Continue to build shared learning among participants

During this two-day event, participants will work in both small and large groups, indoors and outdoors. Guided by the best practices of the North America Fire Learning Network, our collaboration is designed to enable people with diverse perspectives to find zones of agreement where we can achieve tangible results in our communities and the surrounding landscape. For more information, check out our blog at:

 http://mendocinofirescape.blogspot.com/

Some other examples from around the country can be found at www.conservationgateway.org

Lunch will be provided both days.

There will be a short (weather-dependent) field trip on Wednesday and participants should be prepared for changing weather conditions in the field. The trip will be accessible, not leaving roads or trails.

In order to make sure we have food and materials for everyone, we ask that you register by

Wednesday January 21st. To register, or for more information, please contact Lauren Johnson

at 530-934-1153 or by email at laurenjohnson@fs.fed.us

Thank you and we look forward to your participation in this collaborative effort.

Public Workshop for FireScape Mendocino - Sept. 3/4 in Willits

Please join us for our fourth in a series of Workshops for FireScape Mendocino to be held at the Community Hall in Willits, CA on Wednesday, September 3 and Thursday, September 4, 2014.

FireScape Mendocino is a voluntary collaborative effort to shape the future of our fire-prone landscape in and near the Mendocino National Forest. Working together, we will emphasize shared learning, problem solving and action on the ground. Taking the next step in this collaborative effort, our goals will be:

• Share homework and updates since the last workshop.

• Use the situation diagram from Workshop 3 to decide which strategies the group will pursue, in order to boost the health and viability of the group’s shared values.

• Work through interactive exercises about the landscape, including case studies and maps from the local landscape.

• Introduce the next step – developing the activity plan that will guide work on the ground.

• Continue to build shared learning among participants in FireScape Mendocino.

During this two-day event, participants will work in both small and large groups with a variety of collaborators. Guided by the best practices of the North America Fire Learning Network, FireScape Mendocino is designed to enable people with diverse perspectives to find zones of agreement where we can achieve tangible results in our communities and the surrounding landscapes.

We need people...

... With local community perspectives

... Who enjoy outdoor recreation (camping, hunting, hiking, OHV, etc.)

... With perspectives on living with wildfires

... Who manage land - whether it’s a ranch, timberlands or their backyard

... With thoughts about community and landscape planning

... With enthusiasm and an interest in the future of our local landscapes

All meetings are open to the public and everyone is welcome to participate. Space may be limited, so if you are part of a large family or organization, please consider sending a few folks to speak for the larger group.

Location & Dates:

Wednesday, September 3 & Thursday, September 4

Willits Community Hall

111 East Commercial Street

Willits, CA 95490

Pre-registration is required by Wednesday, August 27th by close of business. To register, or for more information, please contact:

Marilyn Perham at 530-897-6370, ext. 200

Email mperham@tnc.org

Paskenta FireScape Tour and Workshop Report

Field Review of Private Land Fuel Reduction Project

To date, FireScape Mendocino has hosted three two-day Workshops with a half day field trip, both of which were facilitated by the Fire Learning Network (FLN). The third Workshop was held Tuesday, June 10th and Wednesday, June 11th at the Community Hall in Paskenta, CA. Thirty people from 15 organizations participated (see list below).  

Guided by the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation, the attendees focused on developing a Situation Diagram based on the group’s shared values and targets.  The meeting also included a field trip to review various forest health related fuel reduction treatments on both private and federal forest land. Rick Mowery, Fire Ecologist for the Mendocino National Forest, discussed fire regimes and management treatments with workshop participants at stops along the private and federal land interface and at an historic meadow on the Forest. Local land owner and fuel reduction expert, Bill Burroughs, presented the group with a case study about the use of goat grazing for fuel removal.  Mechanical treatments were also included in his presentation.

FS Staff Explains Fire History near Private/Federal Land Interface

FireScape Mendocino is a collaboration designed to enable people with diverse perspectives to find zones of agreement where we can achieve tangible results in our communities and the surrounding landscape. The collaboration is facilitated by the Fire Learning Network, which is a cooperative program of the Forest Service, Department of the Interior agencies—Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service—and The Nature Conservancy.

2008 Shaded Fuel Break on Forest Service Land

The partnership has a twelve-year track record of helping to restore our nation’s forests and grasslands and to make communities safer from fire. All Workshops are open to anyone interested in participating.

*For more information on FireScape Mendocino, please contact Rick Mowery at 530-934-1175 or Don Amador at 925-625-6287

Paskenta Workshop participants; Tehama County Resource Conservation District,  CAL Fire, California State Parks OHM Recreation Division, California Wilderness Coalition, Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC), Coordinator of Resource Management Plan, Congress Representative of Doug LaMalfa, Crane Mills, Sierra Pacific, West Ecosystems Analysis, Tuleyome, Yolo Audubon Society, Blue Ribbon Coalition and the U.S. Forest Service; Mendocino National Forest.