Diamond Mountain Mark West CAL FIRE Grant
"WORKING TOGETHER TO PLAN COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP ACTIONS TO REDUCE FUEL DENSITY, FIRE INTENSITY, AND SUPPORT ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND BIODIVERSITY"
The Grant Leadership team has connected with numerous landowners and through the support of the community coordinators we have identified several projects that will be reviewed for environmental impact. As we move forward, we are seeking landowner input to guide the Forest Stewardship Plan.
“Our values guide our judgment and prepare us to choose and support certain actions. Community shared values are values that are appreciated at an individual level and shared by other members of the community.”
Please complete the following survey to share your values as we identify priority projects within the Forest Stewardship Plan.
The Diamond Mountain to Mark West (DMMW) Area encompasses a critically important region of wildfire and ecological focus. The watershed of Mark West Creek in the southern Mayacamas Mountain Range which leads into the Russian River is the geographical center of this landscape scale project. The ridge lines of the mountains in both Sonoma and Napa County generate intense wind events in late summer and fall that cause potentially dangerous wildfire conditions.
This area has been impacted by large, destructive wildfires in the past five years. The Santa Rosa suburban communities of Fountain Grove, Coffey Park, and Rincon Valley historically experienced devastating wildfires, including the 2017 Tubbs Fire, the 2019 Kincade Fire, and the 2020 Glass Fire (A derivative of the LNU Lightning Complex Fires). High intensity winds blowing east to west out of the upper watershed combined with an untimely fire ignition and caused significant loss of life and property damage plus extensive regional economic impacts. The three fires have estimated to cause approximately $3BN in related costs to our community. Avoided costs in the future will be essential for not only the economic, social, and mental health for those in the project zone but also those who live around this region.
Did you miss our CAL FIRE Workshop?
We had a great meeting with fruitful discussions. It’s not too late to jump in and join the process. Contact us, or your community coordinator, to find out how.
After reviewing the Forest Stewardship Plan, we mapped out the various vegetation treatments landowners had completed and are interested in doing.
Missed the meeting? Click here to watch the recording.
Project Review Requests/Additions
The deadline for project review has passed. All projects received after December 15, 2023 will be included in the Forest Stewardship Plan but the will not be reviewed for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance.
Funding for this project provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s (CAL FIRE) Fire Prevention Program as part of the California Climate Investments Program.
We had a great 2nd Community Meeting
The Grant Leadership Team
Thank you for a great DMMW kick-off meeting
We are grateful for community members for their attendance, Camp Newman for hosting and Oliver’s Marketplace for donating lunch. The presentation on Fire Behavior given by Sonoma Resource Conservation District RPF, Jason Wells, can be viewed by clicking on the link below. If you would like to receive updates on the DMMW project, please sign up for the eNewsletter at the bottom of the page.
This project is a planning process for a cross parcel collaborative effort that represents the needs of landowners in the Diamond Mountain Mark West area of Sonoma County that was funded by CAL FIRE. We recently heard from CAL FIRE on Potential Operation Delineations (PODS) and their fire preparedness approach to these areas especially in regards to ingress and egress needs. The following PODs Story Map is a resource for more information about the PODs development and PODs in action.
DMMW Fuel Breaks and PODs Planning, is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing GHG emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment– particularly in disadvantaged communities. The Cap-and-Trade program also creates a financial incentive for industries to invest in clean technologies and develop innovative ways to reduce pollution. California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, recycling, and much more. At least 35 percent of these investments are located within and benefiting residents of disadvantaged communities, low-income communities, and low-income households across California. For more information, visit the California Climate Investments website at: www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov.
DMMW CAL FIRE fire prevention planning grant Goals:
Improve fire control, public safety, and protection of communities and infrastructure through the planning of three shaded fuel breaks (Sharp Road, Kings Hill Road, Diamond Mt. Ridge)
Support landowners through a planning process that provides them with the needed information and tools to manage and sustain lower fire risk, and an ecologically healthy landscape. The planning process will include 3 onsite (and online) community meetings and a unit planning workshop.
Create a community forest stewardship plan to lead to funding and implementation of cooperative forest stewardship actions that reduce high intensity wildfire and improve forest ecology and climate resilience, while sustaining and improving critically endangered Coho and Steelhead Salmon in the Mark West Creek watershed.
Complete the planning and scope the environmental compliance needs to make the project area eligible for funding for stewardship activities through various state and federal grant programs.
Review your property
Wildfire Fuel Mapper helps landowners in locating and understanding fire hazards on their land with detailed maps and resources.