YFN: July/August Newsletter • SYRCL

Hello Yuba Forest Network Stakeholders! I hope you all have been enjoying the last month or so of cool weather before the summer heat begins. Listed below are some grants, events, and notifications of upcoming events in July – August. I would like to highlight the CWPP Survey Nevada County OES has open until August 31st and the Recreation & Resilience Master plan survey due July 7th; these are both great opportunities to provide feedback to the county on what you want to see come out of these programs. The next Yuba Forest Network Quarterly meeting will be on August 4 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm in person at the SYRCL office. Nevada County OES will be presenting their Roadmap to Resilience. If you have any news, announcements, or would also like to present at the next quarterly meeting email me at annemarie@yubariver.org. I hope you all enjoy the good weather before it gets too hot! – Anne Marie

Land Acknowledgement

SYRCL works throughout the Yuba River watershed on the Ancestral and Traditional homelands of the Nisenan Tribe, and includes shared boundaries with the Mountain Maidu, Konkow, and Washoe peoples. These tribes have lived here for millennia and live here still. We acknowledge and mourn the painful history of genocide and the devastation of lands and waters irreversibly altered.  We are grateful for opportunities to partner with the tribes to create a shared vision and rebalance our relationship to this place.

Upcoming Events

Forest Business Alliance: Proposal Writing and Budgeting workshop. Keri Rinne, Independent Consultant, and Christopher Sacco, Aegis Conservation Ecology & Regenerative Development LLC will lead a workshop on developing a budget and writing a proposal with required sections for CAL FIRE’s Business and Workforce Development Grant Program. They will provide access to templates to make developing your proposal easier and answer any questions on proposal and budget development. On July 11th, 2023 from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

SCALE meeting: The Sierra Institute will be hosting the next SCALE (Sierra to California All-Lands Enhancement) meeting with be at Sacramento State Harper Alumni Center on July 17th and 18th. Meeting topics at the event will include post-fire restoration best practices, building wood utilization infrastructure and capacity, securing long-term feedstock, the Community Economic Resilience Fund, going to scale with landscape restoration efforts, and building the next generation of durable landscape collaboratives. If you are interested in attending please RSVP here.

SYRCL Aspen Volunteer Work Days: SYRCL is hosting two Aspen Volunteer Work Days within the Yuba River Watershed on July 14 and 15 to help install cattle exclusion fencing that protects young aspen suckers from over-browsing. Volunteers can expect to spend the day (10 am to 2:30 pm) installing cattle exclusion fencing around 2 beautiful aspen stands and if there is time, collecting important aspen stand data that will inform aspen restoration.  Register for one or both of the days here.

Bear Yuba Land Trust: Join Bear Yuba Land Trust IN THE FIELD at Rucker Lake on Saturday, July 22! Bring your kayak, your paddle board, floatees for the kids, and jump on in with BYLT for a day at the lake! Activities include a “paddle out” with Conservation Program Managers Jason Landers and Kate Gazzo, a talk by Executive Director Erin Tarr on the exciting work BYLT is undertaking in the area, and water games with prizes for adults and kids. Click here for more information and tickets!

Forest Business Alliance: Forest Management workshop. Bruce Goines, Retired USFS, RPF #2221, and Eric Holst, Environmental Defense Fund, RPF #3156 will lead an introductory workshop on forest management related to preparing your application for CAL FIRE’s Business and Workforce Development Grant Program. August 1st, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Sierra Nevada Alliance: The Nature Gap: Confronting Racial and Economic Disparities in America – Monthly Webinar. Sierra Nevada Alliance is pleased to have Vanessa Muñoz, Conservation Program Manager with the Hispanic Access Foundation, presenting during our August webinar. Vanessa will discuss the lack of diversity in the outdoors and the impacts of the climate crisis on communities of color. August 7th, 2023 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Stop the Idaho Maryland Mine: Save the Date: public hearing for the Idaho Maryland Mine Project Scheduled for October 2nd and 3rd. The Board of Supervisors’ Public Hearing for the proposed Idaho Maryland Mine – Rise Grass Valley Project has been scheduled for October 2nd and 3rd. The Clerk of the Board will issue a formal Notice of Public Hearing for the Special Meeting of the Board of Supervisors Public Hearing no sooner than the beginning of September. Interested residents are encouraged to subscribe for updates on the project’s planning process at www.NevadaCountyCA.gov/IMMRise, including subscribing for notifications on how to submit a public comment.

Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss Training: November 6th-10th, 2023. The CAL FIRE-Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) State-Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss is for persons seeking Certification to plan and manage prescribed fire on State or private lands. A State-Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss may possess authority to engage in a prescribed burning operation and to enter into the necessary contracts with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The qualifications are documented in the State Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss Certification Training Standards (CTS).

General News and Press Releases

Nevada County: Nevada County Office of Emergency Services (OES) has developed a robust program to create a Roadmap to Resilience. Part of this program includes the update to the County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) which will strategically support our community in taking action to protect the things we value from wildfire. The CWPP is an integral part of the Roadmap to Resilience and will become the guide for prioritizing wildfire risk reduction activities throughout the County. An important part of the CWPP process is to assess wildfire risk in Nevada County. The Wildfire Risk Assessment will determine mitigation priorities based on the current fire hazard, critical assets, and high-value resources. Public participation is an essential part of the CWPP process. Nevada County OES has launched a CWPP Survey to better understand how wildfire impacts our communities and to support the creation of a document that is designed by the community it is intended to serve. The survey is available in English and Spanish and is open to Nevada County residents, property owners, and the Nevada County workforce. Help define Wildfire Resilience by taking the CWPP Survey available from June 1^st to August 31^st. If you have any further questions, please check out ReadyNevadaCounty.org/CWPP or reach out to Alessandra Zambrano for more information.

Share your project ideas for improving recreation in Nevada County: The second Recreation & Resiliency Master Plan public survey and “call for ideas” is live, now through July 7th. Click here to take the survey – available in English and Spanish – and please help spread the word with your friends, neighbors, and networks. We are asking for input on recreation projects, programs, policies, or solutions that may enhance recreation access, support health and safety, preserve natural resources, and increase economic vitality. Input from all community members is needed. Visit www.nevadacountyrecreation.com/plan to learn more!

Yuba Watershed Institute: On May 8th The Bureau of Land Management named YWI their Conservation Partner of the Year for 2023. BLM and YWI have been collaborating on the San Juan Ridge for more than 30 years to manage the 960-acre ‘Inimim Forest, and are expanding their collaboration throughout the Yuba River watershed.

Resource Toolkit for Landscape-Scale Management in Western Nevada County: Sierra Streams Institute has recently developed a Resource Toolkit including a Land Stewardship Calendar (see above), Locally-Relevant Management Tips and Resources, and Funding and Technical Assistance Resources. Click here to check it out.

Forest Business Alliance: The Forest Business Alliance held a sawmill workshop at the Alcouffe Center in Oregon House in June. The workshop covered basic manufacturing processes, key sawmill performance metrics, market and manufacturing for lumber, log supply and processing sawmill byproducts, among other topics. This workshop was highly attended, with more than 60 participants from existing and newly built sawmills around California. Check in with the Forest Business Alliance for future events and workshops!

Yuba Fire Safe Council has a cost share program for up to $2000 for household defensible space. Check out the link for more information. They are also offering a free Wildfire Mitigation Review as part of their new program. The Residential Chipper Program is taking in chipping requests for up to 3 hours of free chipping.

CDFW Announces $20.4 Million in Grant Funding to Protect Salmon Habitat and Other California Fish and Wildlife Species Statewide: 15 projects to improve salmon habitat and support climate resiliency, wildlife corridors and wetlands restoration from funding made available through Drought, Climate, and Nature-Based Solutions Initiative.

Placer Resource Conservation District: Placer RCD has a survey on their prescribed fire program, part of the Prescribed Burning on Private Lands (PBPL) program to inform and teach private landowners on how to make prescribed fire an accessible and safe management tool. Fill out the survey if you would like to provide input on how to make Placer RCD a better resource for the community.

USDA Forest Service Invests Additional $33 Million in Deferred Maintenance Projects in California. With funds form the Great American Outdoors Act, the USDA Forest service is helping 23 projects across California in 2023.

State Coastal Conservancy $78 Million for Climate Resilience, Public Access, Habitat Restoration and Wildfire Resilience: On June 1, the State Coastal Conservancy approved nearly $78 million for 34 projects to protect and restore coastal lands, increase coastal resilience to climate change, improve public access to the coast, and reduce the impact of wildfire on coastal lands.

SNC Approves $22.5 Million to Build Resilience, Boost Recreation, and Conserve Land: On June 1, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) approved roughly $22.5 million for 24 different projects that will benefit wildfire recovery and forest resilience, expand recreation opportunities, and conserve strategic land throughout California’s Sierra-Cascade region.

Upper Yuba Headwaters Forest Restoration Project: Sierra Nevada Conservancy awarded Nevada Irrigation District $1,274,000 for fire fuels and hazard trees reduction on 400 acres in the upper headwaters of the Middle Fork Yuba River around Jackson Meadows Reservoir.

Camptonville Bio-energy Facility Project: The Camptonville Community Partnership was awarded $2M from the Sierra Nevada Conservation as part of the Wildfire Recovery and Forest Resilience Directed Grant program.

Hoyt-Purdon Fuel Reduction and Prescribed Fire Implementation Project: American Rivers was awarded $2,363,025 in funding from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy part of their Wildfire Recover and Forest Resilience Directed Grant program to reduce fuel loading and reintroduce fire within strategically located WUI lands.

CAL FIRE suspends Burn Permits in Nevada, Yuba, Placer, and Sierra Counties

Over $9M in Grants to Strengthen California Wood Products Economy and Local Jobs

Wildlife Conservation Board Funds Environmental Improvement and Acquisition Projects

Recurring Meetings and Events

Nevada County Coalition of Firewise Communities Meeting: Contact Jeff Peach at jeff@nccoalitionfwc.com for more information. 2023 meetings: August 1: hybrid meeting based in Truckee, November 7: Esterly Hall and Zoom.

Yuba Fire Safe Council Meeting: next meeting will be held on Wednesday July 12th from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at the Alcouffe Community Center and on Zoom. The next meeting will be on August 9th at 9:30 am – 11:30 am.

Forests Lab: A monthly meet up on recent literature on forest health, the next one is scheduled for 6 pm on July 19th at Gold Vibe Kombuchary. Email Erin Andrew (erin@sierrastreamsinstitute.org) for more information.

California Forest Resilience Task Force Meeting: The next quarterly meeting will be in Sacramento on August 27th, and a spot may be reserved here for virtual attendance.

Yuba Forest Network Quarterly Meeting: An in-person event at the SYRCL office in Nevada City. Email Anne Marie Holt (annemarie@yubariver.org) for more details or if you have any updates. August 4th 10:00 am –12:00 pm.

Grants

CAL FIRE: announced solicitation for forest legacy conservation easements. Up to $20 million available to support project acquisition and project development for working forest landscapes Forest Legacy | CAL FIRE

CAL FIRE: first-of-its-kind fund provides support and protection for prescribed fire and cultural burning, reducing wildfire risks in California Prescribed Fire | CAL FIRE

US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration: Wildlife Crossings Program: Due 8/1/02023

2023 Natural Community Conservation Planning Local Assistance Grant Program and 30 x 30 Grant Program: these grants are meant to aid local public and non-profit entities with the highest priority tasks needed to implement NCCPs, and to plan and implement NCCPs and/or Habitat Conservation Plans. Due 8/4/2023

Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program’s Regional Resilience Planning and Implementation Grant Program: The Regional Resilience Grant Program (RRGP) funds planning and implementation projects that strengthen climate change resilience at a regional scale. The RRGP funds projects led by partnerships that involve multiple jurisdictions working together to address the most significant climate change risks in their regions, especially in communities that are most vulnerable to climate change impacts.  Due 8/29/23

Sierra Nevada Conservancy: Sierra Nevada Conservancy launches new grant round to support wildfire-recover and forest-resilience priorities: The 2023 Wildfire Recovery and Forest Resilience Directed Grant Program supports planning and implementation of forest-health projects that promote wildfire recovery and forest resilience priorities in the SNC service area. The total amount of funding available is still to be determined and based on final appropriations from California’s Budget Act of 2023. The funding is part of the state’s historic $15 billion investment focused on protecting Californians from the effects of climate change, including wildfires, drought, and extreme heat.

MAP: Connecting People to Forests – A Recent Change to NFF’s Flagship Grant Program: In April, the NFF announced changes to its flagship competitive grant program. The adjustments are a result of over two years of work to collect feedback to align the program with current National Forest System needs, and the NFF strategic plan. The resulting program focuses primarily on in-person community engagement and completion of appropriate stewardship activities.

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) 2023: This grant aims to support states, local communities, tribes and territories in their hazard mitigation projects to reduce the risk of natural disasters and hazards from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Ongoing due date.

The CDFW Drought, Climate, and Nature Based Solutions Initiative: funds multi-benefit
ecosystem restoration and protection projects for critical habitat and watersheds, including
mountain-meadow ecosystems and wildlife corridors. Rolling applications.

The CA Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) Forest Conservation Program: advances the protection, restoration, and improvement of upper-watershed lands in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains. Rolling applications.

The CA WCB Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Program: rolling supports habitat
enhancement, wildlife corridors, and fish-barrier-removal projects. Rolling applications.