Mark Brehl (928) 853-2735 Greater Flagstaff [email protected] Anne Mottek Lucas (928) 213-0413 Forests Partnership [email protected]

A long-standing collaborative

, the Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership COMMUNITIES is made up of academic, environmental and private organizations as well working in the as municipal, county, state and federal agencies. Since 1998, the Partner- Greater Flagstaff ship has endeavored to increase community protection through research and demonstration of various approaches to restore natural ecosystem area of northern Arizona structure, function and composition in the ponderosa pine forests surrounding Flagstaff. The Partnership has helped lead a shift in public http://FACNetwork.org understanding and support for proactive forest management designed to In 2012, City residents chose promote the safety and sustainability of our community and forests. Key Partners Friends of Northern Arizona not to be helpless victims in the face of Arizona Game and Fish Forests inevitable wildfire, but instead voted with overwhelming support (74 Department Northern Arizona University— percent) to spend municipal bond money to fund forest treatments on Arizona Prescribed Fire Council Ecological Restoration Institute state and federal land that would reduce risks of severe wildfires and The Partnership’s work Arizona State Forestry Division Northern Arizona University— minimize post-fire impacts such as flooding. Centennial Forest School of Forestry to advance the goals of the Flagstaff Watershed City of Flagstaff Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council Protection Project (FWPP) is well aligned with Fire Adapted Communities Coconino County Southwest Fire Science and national Cohesive Strategy frameworks. The Partnership hosted and Coconino Natural Resource Consortium participated in numerous events in 2014 to promote these goals. Events Conservation District The Nature Conservancy included community meetings, open houses and activities associated Flagstaff Fire Department U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service with the annual Flagstaff Festival of Science, including the Science in the Park Festival, a “Forest Fires & Floods Hike” into the Dry Lake Hills and a Brown Bag Lunch detailing the history of our local forest ecosystems and efforts—current and planned—to create sustainable communities andThe resilientPartnership forests. also collaborated 2015 FAC Learning Network Projects

with the Arizona Firewise / Fire Adapted Landscaping Contest Rural Policy Institute, City of Flagstaff and Ecological Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership promoted this community-wide Restoration Institute on the FWPP Cost Avoidance Study. contest at Earth Day celebrations. The contest encouraged home- The study conservatively estimates the FWPP’s proactive owners to prepare landscapes around their homes and communities funding of $10 million was a sound investment that will for the threat of wildfire. Prizes totaling $1000 were awarded based on overall appeal, with an emphasis on incorporation of Firewise avoid between $552 million and $1.2 billion in potential concepts and aesthetics damages—not to mention the scenic and spiritual loss the Helping initiate discussions community would endure. Prescribed Fire Smoke Awareness Campaign Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership and students from Northern Arizona University’s School of , planning efforts and permit- Communication created a video that describes the need for prescribed fire and the efforts made ting with the Navajo Nation, the Partnership facilitated the by professionals to mitigate smoke effects on the community. The video will be shared on Flagstaff Fire Department’s Wildland Fire Management various websites and used during outreach events. View it at https://vimeo.com/128093109. Division meadow restoration project, eliminating pine encroachment on a 140-acre tribal in-holding in the middle of the Dry Lake Hills area surrounded by the Coconino National Forest. A two-panel log kiosk was built and installed on the property to host Outreach Highlight: GFFP Combines Culture, Art and Science to Teach project details, parcel history and Forest Restoration to Kids forest and fire management In 2015 information. The Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership developed the Yellow Belly , we continue to promote Ponderosa, an outreach program that began as an exciting play created by fire adapted communities concepts middle and high school students, for elementary students. The play combines and actions at various community culture, art and science to convey an understanding of sustainable forests events, host field trips and produce and watersheds, and support a lifelong connection to them. Originally designed as a traveling performance delivered at elementary schools in northern videos related to prescribed fire Arizona, the program has been adapted for classroom use, with a professionally- and smoke management. We held produced DVD of the performance, pre- and post-lesson plans, and an a community wildfire preparedness evaluation. This curriculum was developed by teachers to meet State contest in conjunction with the Standards and is now used across the state. Salt River Project, the largest 2015 National Wildfire Community utility company in the state, funded development of this curriculum and hosts Excerpt from a post on the FAC Learning Network the materials on its website, as well as conducting teacher workshops based on Preparedness Day and are also blog—read the post at http://facnetwork.org/ working on yard signs recognizing progress-promoting-treatments-in-flagstaff/ it throughout the state. (Find the materials at http://www.srpnet.com/education/yellowbelly.aspx) property owners who are working proactively to reduce wildfire risk.

MORE INFORMATION Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership http://www.gffp.org/ Flagstaff Fire Department Wildland Fire The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is Management Division http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/wildlandfire supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- Coconino National Forest http://www.fs.usda.gov/COCONINO tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department Flagstaff Watershed of the Interior. For more information, contact Protection Project http://www.flagstaffwatershedprotection.org/ Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

Informational kiosk on Navajo Nation parcel in An equal opportunity provider. v. 22 May 15 the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project. California Fire Safe Katie Martel (626) 335-7426 Council [email protected]

COMMUNITIES The California Fire Safe Council working throughout the state of California (CFSC) is a state-wide non- profit that provides wildfire education and outreach support and capacity-building assistance to organizations in California that are engaged in fire preparedness. This wide-reaching influence Key Partners and support of local community groups makes us especially well CAL FIRE http://FACNetwork.org positioned to spread innovative ideas from local California Fire National Fire Protection Safe Councils and Firewise Communities through the FAC Association—Firewise Learning Network, and to bring innovations back to our USDA Forest Service CaliforniaFor more partners.than 20 years and local Fire Safe Councils , CFSC has been a leader in California’s throughout the state fight to reduce the impact of wildfire. CFSC is recognized by state and federal fire agencies as a vital link to communities. Since 2004, CFSC has administered nearly 800 grants for wildfire mitigation projects and education programs totaling over $80 million in federal funds. These grants have helped communities across California prepare for wildfire and become more fire adapted. In addition to the federal funders, private corporations, including insurance and utility companies, have shown generous supportCFSC offers for CFSC’s workshops work. and one-day conferences on fire and disaster prevention topics several times each year in locations Attendees visit exhibitors at the 2014 Fire Summit, which was hosted by the Southern throughout the state. Fire Safe Councils communicate regularly Homeowners participatePhoto: in home CFSC/Katie ignition Martel zone California Regional Area Taskforce andPhoto: CFSC assessment training orgnized by the California sposored by California Fire Safe Council. with CFSC to share information about local events and successful Fire Safe Council. projects and outreach programs. In turn, CFSC offers networking Siskiyou County FSC of Siskiyou County Lower Scott River FSC Scott Bar FSC French Creek FSC McCloud FSC, Inc Scott River Watershed Greater Lake Shastina FSC Mt. Shasta Area FSC Coalition of FSCs and training opportunities that help the local groups continue Greater Weed Area FSC Orleans-Somes Bar FSC Scott Valley FSC California Happy Camp FSC Quartz Valley Area FSC Seiad Valley FSC A key area of focus Juniper Flat FSC Rattlesnake Creek Upper Mid Klamath Klamath River FSC Watershed FSC Watershed Council their critical work in wildfire prevention and preparedness. Salmon River FSC Yreka Area FSC Del Fire Safe Councils Norte Siskiyou County Modoc County County as part of the FAC Learning Network this Modoc FSC a key area of focus for the year is to advance networking among local Fire Safe Councils Shasta County Humboldt County Lassen County California Fire Safe Council’s Lakehead FSC and Firewise Communities in California. CFSC will create an Humboldt County FSC Trinity Shasta County FSC Day Lassen Bench FSC Butte County Loleta FSC County Shasta West FSC Janesville FSC Lower Mattole FSC Shingletown FSC Lassen County FSC, Inc work as part of the FAC Van Duzen Watershed FSC Butte County FSC atmosphere of collective learning by developing an online forum Willow Creek FSC Tehama County Forbestown Ridge FSC Plumas County Paradise FSC YubaYankee County Hill FSC Learning Network this Mendocino Glenn County FSC County will allow FSCs, Firewise Communities, grantee organizations Lake Almanor Basin FSC Yuba Watershed Protection & FSC Butte Plumas County FSC County Sierra County year is to advance Lake County Mendocino Glenn County County and community groups to share tips, lessons learned and best Nevada County Sierra County Fire Safe & Watershed Council FSC, Inc Yuba Lake County FSC Lake County Placer County networking among South Lake FSC Fire Safe Council of Nevada County County Colusa practices. Additionally, the CFSC website will be expanded to County Greater Auburn Area FSC Napa County Placer County Fire Safe ElAlliance Dorado County El Dorado local Fire Safe Sutter Placer Sierra FSC Sonoma Napa County County Alpine Berryessa Estates FSC County County Yolo County El Dorado County FSC spotlight some of the abundant success stories Sacramento Circle Oaks FSC County County Amador Grizzly Flats FSC Mount Veeder FSC Lakehills FSC Councils and County Amador FSC In addition to online tools Napa Communities Firewise Sea Ranch Calaveras Alpine FSC Logtown FSC Folsom FSC Tuolumne Foundation FSC Solano County Pleasant Valley Grange FSC from across the state. County County Sandridge FSC Marin County Calaveras MonoVolcanoville County Fire Safe and Firewise Council Firewise San Foothills Highway 108/ FSC Contra Costa Joaquin Tuolumne County FSC SanFiresafe Mateo Marin County AlamedaCounty County Yosemite Foothills FSC June Lake FSC , CFSC will host County Mariposa County Mammoth Lakes FSC Communities Twin Lakes FSC Santa Stanislaus Fire Safe San Mateo County County Mariposa Wheeler Crest FSC San Francisco Peninsula FSC Clara workshops on Fire Adapted Communities Alameda County County County FSC throughout South Skyline FSC Santa Cruz County Madera County Merced County Diablo FSC San principles to Fire Safe Councils, Firewise Santa Clara County Bonny Doon FSC Benito E. Madera the state Soquel FSC County FresnoCounty County FSC East Foothills FSC Communities, and residents of the Santa Clara County FSC San Benito Highway 168 FSC Inyo South Santa Clara County FSC FSC Tulare County County wildland urban interface. The Monterey County Sequoia FSC FSC for Monterey County Kings County Highlands Community Fire Safe CommitteeSan Luis Obispo workshops will feature firsthand County

Kern County San Luis Obispo accounts of how fire adapted, Fire County Community FSC Kern River Valley FSC Safe, and Firewise concepts are Mt. Pinos Communities FSC San Bernardino County Angelus Oaks Greyback Disaster Preparedness Group Santa Barbara Arrowhead Communities FSC County Ventura Carbon Canyon FSC being applied by local groups and County Lytle Creek FSC Los Angeles Ventura County County Mountain Rim FSC Wrightwood FSC

agencies, furthering the network Central Ventura County FSC Ojai Valley FSC Los Angeles County approach. Ventu Park FSC, Inc. Riverside County Angeles Forest Valleys & Lakes FSC Malibu Lake FSC Orange County Mountain Communities FSC Big Santa Anita Canyon FireSafe Meadows FSC Southwest Riverside County FireSafe Council Council Monrovia FSC CALIFORNIA Corral Canyon Fire Safety Alliance North Topanga Canyon FSC FSC East Orange County Canyons Crescenta Valley FSC Pasadena Glen FSC Greater Laguna Coast FSC Horizon Hills FSC Sand Canyon Community FSC North Tustin FSC San Diego County La Habra Heights Fire Watch / FSC Westhills FSC FIRE SAFE COUNCIL San Diego County Imperial County

Crest FSC Greater Julian FSC Potreo FSC MISSION Cuyamaca Woods FSC, Inc. Greater Valley Center FSC Ramona West End FSC Deer Springs FSC, Inc. Harrison Park FSC Rancho Bernardo FSC Descanso FSC Kensington East FSC Rancho Penasquitos FSC Dulzura FSC Kensington West FSC Rancho Santa Fe FSC El Capitan FSC Lake Hodges FSC Scripps Ranch FSC Eucalyptus Hills FSC Mt. Laguna FSC Sherilton Valley FSC Fallbrook Firesafe Council Outer Jamul FSC Real East County FSC Mobilizing Californians to FSC of San Diego County Palomar Mountain FSC Stone Ridge – Warner Greater Alpine FSC Pine Valley FSC Springs Estates FSC protect their homes, The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is communities and supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire For more about the California Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- environment tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the Fire Safe Council, visit USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department from wildfires of the Interior. For more information, contact http://www.cafiresafecouncil.org/ Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

An equal opportunity provider. v. 28 May 15 Karuk Bill Tripp [email protected] Tribe (530) 627-3446 x 3023

COMMUNITIES Recent accomplishments working in Cecilville, Forks of Salmon, Happy Camp, Orleans, in this landscape include the establishment of Sawyers Bar, Seiad and Somes the Western Klamath Restoration Partnership (WKRP), a collaborative that is working to improve forest resiliency and community safety. As part of the Bar, and with the Karuk People Fire Learning Network, this partnership has held a series of eight facilitated in northern California three-day workgroup sessions, and has reached agreement in principle for Our current focus projects at the landscape scale. http://FACNetwork.org is on convening partners to ramp up the scope and scale of our planning and implementation capacities. We are improving mechanisms to obligate funds from the Forest Service to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for Key Partners the tribe to systematically progress our WKRP collaborative endeavors as Bureau of Indian Affairs Orleans-Somes Bar Fire Safe a Cohesive Strategy Demonstration Area. More than $1.1 million in funding California Fire Science Council was obligated in 2014 for NEPA planning and for completing NEPA-ready Consortium Salmon River Fire Safe Council projects, and an additional $500,000 has recently been committed to non- Deer Creek GIS Salmon River Restoration Council federal partner activities related to this project from Six Rivers National Happy Camp Coordinating Salmon River Volunteer Fire and Forest’s 2015 Program of Work. Among the year’s highlights was the fall Committee Rescue Klamath River Prescribed Fire Training Exchange, where 53 participants Happy Camp Fire Safe Council U.S. Environmental Protection built their fire skills while treating 240 acres with fire. Our integrated Hayfork Watershed Research Agency approach to fire management has been highlighted in the Western Region and Training Center U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Strategy Committee newsletter, the Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Collaborative leadership Inter-Tribal Timber Council University of California, Berkeley Strategy Facebook page, and in many newspaper articles. Karuk Tribe—Community USDA Forest Service—Klamath in a large, complex system presents challenges. Development Corporation, NF, Shasta-Trinity NF, Six But we are progressing in a manner that we believe will produce tangible Department of Natural Rivers NF; results for the long term. Seed money from the FAC Learning Network has Resources, Emergency USDA Forest Service—Pacific been instrumental in convening the discussions needed to help our vision Our long-term goals Preparedness Department Southwest Research Station start to become a reality. Klamath Forest Alliance USDA Natural Resources include bringing fire back to the people in Karuk Mid Klamath Watershed Council Conservation Service— Territory. Fire as an ecological process is not currently fulfilling its functional National Oceanic & Atmospheric Fortuna Service Center, role in this landscape. People have not been serving in their capacity as Administration—Fisheries Yreka Service Center responsible stewards within ecological systems. We are trying to reverse Northern California Prescribed Western Klamath Restoration that trend and revitalize the human-fire relationship so we can once again To help reach these goals Fire Council Partnership thrive as a people of place in our original homelands. Orleans Volunteer Fire Western Region Strategy , we have gained administrative access to the Department Committee Incident Qualifications and Certification System (IQCS) and Resource Order- ing Status System (ROSS) and are currently performing quality assurance checks on training records; we and requesting train- ing slots for 2016. This will enable us to manage the qualifica- tions of tribal, NGO and community volunteer personnel so the

workforce that we are growing locally for the restoration and Photo: Thomas B. Dunklin maintenance of fire resilient landscapes will also be able to respond to wildfires in a safe, effective, and consistent manner. Integration of Cohesive Strategy Goals a Reality The WKRP identified six clear objec- From left in California’s Klamath Mountains tives through its collaborative planning pro- : Fire rejuvenating a patch of bear grass; a cess: basket woven from materials that depend on fire; A post by Kate Lighthall, Coordinator, Western Region; Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy • Fire adapted communities, acorns. Prescribed firePhotos: in this Bill landscape Tripp; USFS/Frank supports Lake on the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog—online at http://facnetwork.org/integration- • Restored fire regimes, cultural values as well as community safety and forest of-cohesive-strategy-goals-a-reality-in-californias-klamath-mountains/ resilience. • Healthy river systems, I recently had the pleasure of visiting the • Resilient bio-diverse forests/plants and Western Klamath Restoration Partnership animals, (WKRP) and attending the field trip for the • Sustainable local economies, and Somes Bar Integrated Fire Management and This type of community and stakeholder • Cultural and community vitality. Capacity Development Project. As in most involvement is the core philosophy of the National collaborative projects, I found stakeholders Wildland Fire Management Cohesive Strategy. Each of the proposed activities discussed representing diverse interests who’ve come Simply put, people are dying, homes and com- on the field trip—using prescribed fire, together to find shared values and goals for munities are burning up, we are losing natural biomass utilization, mechanical fuels reduc- More Information their landscape. Moving from agreement in resources and habitat to extreme wildfire, and tion, training and using local fire crews and principle to agreement in practice, however, we can no longer afford the soaring costs of fire workforces—will work synergistically toward For a blog post reporting on the achievement of all six values. is the true test of collaboration. suppression. The Cohesive Strategy promotes col- field tour mentioned in the box at “We’re going slow and starting small,” laborative efforts at all levels to find solutions to Sound familiar? Restoring resilient land- left, “Western Klamath Restoration the wildland fire challenges across all jurisdictions. scapes—check. Creating fire adapted com- I heard from many of the stakeholders from Partnership Hits the Ground Running,” the WKRP. “This is good advice,” I thought as The three overarching goals of the Cohesive Strat- munities—check. Safe and effective wildfire I watched the environmental representative egy are to restore resilient landscapes, create fire response—check. go to http://facnetwork.org/western- keep her eye on the tall Douglas firs (owl adapted communities and have safe and effective I like the way Tom Harbour, director of klamath-restoration-partnership-hits- habitat needs tree canopy) and the Karuk wildfire response. The path to achieving those fire and aviation for the Forest Service sums the-ground-running/ Tribe’s food security coordinator keep her goals? Collaboration. it up: the Cohesive Strategy is “a commit- eye on the huckleberries (they need sun- The “C word” gets thrown around a lot these ment to the philosophy that as stakeholders, For more about the work of the light). I found myself wondering how such days, and although it’s becoming a bit cliché, the we all share responsibilities for managing Karuk Tribe, visit their website: diverse interests would get past the initial process of collaboration continues to be noted for our lands; protecting our nation’s natural, http://www.karuk.us/ shared values and goal setting to actual its ability to bring diverse stakeholders to consen- tribal and cultural resources, and making implementation of treatment projects to sus and subsequent success. our communities safe and resilient for future achieve those goals. This sounds like a huge undertaking on the generations.” The answer, I know, is through a rich national scale. Where successful integration of In northern California, the WKRP is in- collaborative process—one facilitated to move the Cohesive Strategy is easy to see, though, is at tegrating the core tenets of the Cohesive The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is slowly and build trust over time. This is the local level, as in the WKRP. Land management Strategy by using a collaborative process to supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire happening with the WKRP effort and I have agencies are working together with diverse stake- identify values and goals that address their Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- no doubt that their unhurried and steady pro- holders to identify shared values and goals, and to six values that, in turn, make meaningful tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the gress towards returning fire to the landscape turn that vision into treatment projects that make progress towards achievement of the three USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department will meet their shared goals and vision. meaningful reductions in risk across landscapes. goals of the Cohesive Strategy. of the Interior. For more information, contact Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

An equal opportunity provider. v. 21 May 15 Coalition for the Upper Jonathan Bruno (719) 748-0033 South Platte [email protected]

COMMUNITIES To successfully implement working in Woodland Park and along the Colorado Front the Front Range Fire Adapted Communities Range Program, the Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP) focuses on In the Upper South Platte areas of high to extreme fire risk and critical infrastructure. watershed, CUSP works to tie together completed and planned forest management in the watershed to increase the overall impact on ecosystem resilience and wildfire risk reduction. This program of work includes: http://FACNetwork.org • implementing Community Wildfire Protection Plans and landscape-scale Key Partners activities that reduce hazardous fuels; Black Forest Together Mile High Youth Corps • increasing forest resiliency; City of Woodland Park Northeast Teller County Fire Colorado Department of Natural Protection District • raising community awareness, pre- Knowing that the only way to protect paredness and ownership; and our communities is by working Photo: together, CUSP Resources Palmer Land Trust CUSP volunteers lend a hand. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Park County • building local capacity for both biomass CUSP works in areas adjacent to projects Colorado Springs Utilities Pikes Peak Wildfire Prevention utilization and project management and implementation. Colorado State Forest Service Partners that are planned, already Denver Water Teller County underway, or have been recently completed on federal, state and local El Paso County The Nature Conservancy lands, utilities lands and private properties. This coordinated work Florissant Fire Protection U.S. Air Force Academy increases the overall impact on ecosystem resilience, wildfire risk Projects in at-risk wildland-urban interface District USDA Forest Service reduction and watershed protection. Front Range Fuels Treatment USDA Natural Resources (WUI) zones along the Partnership Conservation Service Colorado Front Range are also a priority. Having completed over 2,000 Help the Needy and local Home Owners acres of treatments in 2014, CUSP has begun to expand its area of influ- Jefferson County Associations ence, and has begun mentoring several other non-profit organizations facing the same challenges. CUSP’s biomass facility, located in Fairplay, is now fully operational, providing wood chips from fuel management projectsIn 2015 to heat the Fairplay School. Lessons Learned: Working with Contractors to Ensure Economic Sustainability CUSP is undertaking Excerpts from a post on the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog—to read the whole post, 6. Keep good records. several prescribed burns, focusing go to http://facnetwork.org/insights-ensure-economic-sustainability-mitigation-projects/ When reviewing work and certifying it as complete, always do this with the efforts in the northern watershed. Over the years, CUSP has engaged many assumed ability to complete within budget contractor and the funder, if required. forest contractors. In 2014 alone we and on time, and known customer service. With a skilled staff of 25 and new Take notes and provide the notes to provided over two million dollars in Contractors often have more interaction with the contractor for review. In some pieces of equipment, CUSP is well funding to contractors undertaking forest our clients than we do, so make sure they cases I will even make all parties sign management projects within the water- will represent you well. As I view the eco- positioned to even more effectively the notes, acknowledging that they shed. Throughout this process, we have nomic sustainability of our region, I also rank are aware of items to be wrapped up. implement forest management learned some important lessons: those contractors that have a local presence projects. Participation in the FAC 1. Planning is key to successful projects. higher than those from out of the region or Learning Network affords staff Mapping & Marking: Know your project the state. This is vital to strong local forest economies. For every dollar I give them our opportunities to discuss with others and property boundaries—often owners mistakenly think they own property region feels the benefits, from the forest in the fire and land management that they do not, and even more employees to the coffee shops and the fuel field both challenges and new common is faulty assessors data. When stations. approaches to creating more in doubt, contact adjacent owners, and 3. Contracts are your guidebook for operations. mutually walk and agree upon the lines The more detail you put within your contracts resilient communities. The FAC before beginning the work. with regard to the project prescriptions, the Learning Network has also raised Always re-walk the boundaries to en- more likely that you and the contractor will Logs from a thinning project are stacked for sale. Whenever Photo: CUSP sure your ribbon or paint is still visible. achieve real results with limited challenges. possible, CUSP sells logs to local businesses to offset treatment the organization’s national Somecosts. of my strongest relationships are On large projects we use the manage- Always carry a contract copy with you when with local contractors. While the relation- visibility, extending its impact. ment by prescription approach, but will meeting with contractors—refer to this ships can be heated at times, it is impor- do sample marking on an acre or two. document when discussing requirements and tant to understand that we are depen- Request for Proposals (RFP)—Consider outcomes. dent upon each other for success. I rely your RFP documents as some of the 4. Budgeting project payments requires on them for insight on operations and most important elements in the plan- planning. challenges, and they depend on CUSP ning phase of your work. In them be Plan your reimbursements and project time- to keep up-to-date on funding news, clear about the goals, timelines, equip- lines well. Be honest with your scientific developments and the future of ment needs, and whether there is a contractors and consider what options are forest management. It is my responsi- bond, insurance or damage deposit available to help them make ends meet. bility to give them the tools to succeed required. Always discuss the prescrip- and I am humbled when a small outfit tion in detail and know up front what 5. Know your responsibility in ensuring safe purchases their first skidder or hires new A CUSP crew burns piled slash in the snow, Photo: to remove CUSP the right equipment is for the job. Pro- and legal work environments. employees. CUSP recently contracted excess fuels from the forest when the risk of wildfire is vide the contractors ample time to bid As a contract manager, it is my responsibility with an outfit that had only worked on at its lowest. Looking ahead and review the project. CUSP requires to ensure crew, client, and staff safety. If I small lots. Now it is our responsibility all bidders to take part in a “show-me- see something that is contrary to that, I will to ensure that they succeed in reducing , CUSP will be tour” or site walk before bidding. stop the project immediately. fire risk, increasing forest resilience and 2. Selection criteria is more than one Only hire contractors that provide staff with growing their company. focusing on risk reduction in the number. the required workers compensation, proper It is our duty to work with and home ignition zone, influencing When selecting contractors, we equipment and PPE, and who treat their manage our contractors in a way policy and tax code related to the consider past work history, references, people well. that makes us all shine. WUI, identifying and securing sustainable long-term funding sources, and increasing awareness The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is of the Front Range FAC program. supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire Lessons Learned: Pile Burning that can help yield successful and safe burns. Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- The post includes planning suggestions and tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the Having burned over 5,000 piles in the last some notes on cost, and emphasizes the im- Read the post at USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department few years on public and private property, portance of building relationships and having http://facnetwork.org / of the Interior. For more information, contact CUSP has learned some key elements (and conveying) realistic expectations. pile-burning-lessons-learned/ Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

An equal opportunity provider. v. 21 May 15 FireWise of Southwest Pam Wilson (970) 385-8909 Colorado [email protected]

COMMUNITIES

Since joining the FAC Learning Network working in Montezuma, La Plata, and , FireWise has hosted and taken part Archuleta Counties in in numerous stakeholder meetings to discuss, plan, and implement activities southwest Colorado across its three-county area. These included taking part in public meetings hosted by La Plata County to support new driveway standards; hosting a wild- fire forum in Montezuma County; workshops on fire adapted communities and wildfire preparedness for realtors, insurance agents and residents; and work- shop for new mitigation contractors. We also hosted follow-up meetings for http://FACNetwork.org two working groups that evolved from a Wildfire Collaboration Conference that FireWise held in May 2014: The Regional Council Working Group met to discuss Regional Partners the creating a group that would address regional issues, recommend areas of American Red Cross Short Forestry priority treatment, and guide grant applications. The Regional Biomass Work- BLM—Southwest District Field Southern Rockies Fire Science ing Group is addressing opportunities for developing a biomass industry in the Office Network region and recently commissioned a Community Supply Study for the region. In Colorado Division of Fire Southwest Conservation Corps January we hosted another half-day Wildfire Collaboration Conference, which Prevention and Control State Farm Insurance shared information on FAC and current mitigation efforts of several partners. Colorado Division of Homeland Group consensus was to continue meeting twice a year. We also participated University of Colorado, Boulder Security —Institute of Behavioral in two peer-learning workshops with the New Mexico FAC Learning Network Colorado State Forest Service Sciences group, in Taos and in Albuquerque. FireWise is an active participant in the plan- Farmers Insurance ning of the 2015 Colorado Wildfire Conference and part of a group looking to USDA Forest Service—Rocky Mountain Studies Institute create a Fire Adapted Colorado group that will plan future wildfire conferences Mountain Research Station, Other recent accomplishments NRG Consulting San Juan NF and provide fire adapted communities leadership in Colorado. San Juan Citizens Alliance Wildfire Mitigation Professionals’ include the completion of four subdivision- San Juan Mountains Association Association level CWPPs (bringing the total to 21) and the addition of two new FireWise Communities (for a total of 9) and a variety of Wildfire Preparedness Day activities ARCHULETA COUNTY PARTNERS and events in all three counties. FireWise has been working with the Archuleta Archuleta County—Administrator, Board of County Commissioners, County Landfill, County landfill and other partners in to make three slash depot locations into OEM / BIA—Southern Ute Agency / Colorado State University—Archuleta County sustainable operations. FireWise has also championed many other FAC-related Extension Office / Los Pinos FPD / Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District / projects that support regional wildfire risk reduction, including: Pagosa FPD / Pagosa Springs High School / San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership / Stollsteimer Watershed Group / USDA Forest Service—San Juan NF • development of a Best Practices for Homeowners directory; (Pagosa RD) / USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service • a pilot project in Montezuma County for low-income communities, that LA PLATA COUNTY PARTNERS included creation of a fuel break to protect a 96-unit mobile home park and BIA—Southern Ute Agency / City of Durango / Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge fuels reduction and hardening of homes on four individual properties; Railroad / Durango FPD / Fort Lewis Mesa FPD / La Plata Conservation District / La • a new partnership with the La Plata GIS Department to map fuels-reduction Plata County—Board of County Commissioners, OEM, Planning and GIS Departments efforts across the region; / La Plata Electric Association / La Plata Open Space Conservancy / Los Pinos FPD / • a new partnership with La Plata Open Space Conservancy, Montezuma Land San Juan RC&D / Upper Pine River FPD / USDA Forest Service—San Juan NF Conservancy, Southwest Conservation Corps and the Colorado State Forest (Columbine RD) Service that looks at conducting fuels mitigation work on conservation ease- MONTEZUMA COUNTY PARTNERS In 2015, FireWise partnered ments near communities with CWPPs or FireWise Ambassadors. BIA—Ute Mountain Ute Agency / Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife / Cortez FPD / Cortez Open Learning High School / Dolores County OEM / Empire Electric with the San Juan National Forest to highlight a Association / Four Corners Bar Association / Four Corners Home Builders Association 1,100-acre prescribed burn conducted adjacent to a FireWise Community, / K&N Fuels Management / Lewis-Arriola FPD / Mancos FPD / Montelores Habitat which involved a FAC Network blog post and Partnership Program / Montezuma County—Administrator, Board of County a tour of the burn. We are also participating in Commissioners, County Landfill, OEM / National Park Service—Mesa Verde National Park (Fire Management) / Pleasant View FPD / Tri-State Generation and a social science research project that involves Transmission Cooperative / USDA Forest Service—Dolores Public Lands Office / Ute parcel-level wildfire risk assessments of 2,000 Mountain Ute Fire and Rescue / Western Area Power Administration homes that will be followed up by a home- owner survey, which will measure the home- owner’s perception of their wildfire risk against that of the professional assessor. Above : Southwest Open High School students sport the Lessons Learned: Low-Income Wildfire Risk Reduction Pilot Program FireWise Helping Hands t-shirts they received for volunteering at a low-income pilot project work day. Risk Assessments, Community Excerpts from a post on the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog—to read the They helped install screening below decks, lay weed- barrier fabric and gravel near homes, plant fire- Fuel Breaks, and Outreach: whole post, go to http://facnetwork.org/low-income-wildfire-risk-reduction-pilot-program- Photo: Rita Strammel southwest-colorado/ Below,resistant left shrubs and de-construct a carport. With a grant from the Colorado Depart- ment of Natural Resources, FireWise • Resident education is a vital part : The 2014 FireWise chipper rebate program provided almost $20,000 in rebates Photo:to 91 residents Pam Wilson of Southwest Colorado designed a were replaced with metal, fire-resistant of any program. Below,and HOAs, right who matched it with $107,000 and 4,065 program to reduce fuels and ember shrubs were planted, slash was chipped hours of work. ignition hazards around homes and and a wooden carport was dismantled. • Help homeowners help them- : A 2014 tour of the 2012 Weber Fire. As develop community fuel breaks for low- selves. Once we provided detailed a result of the education, mitigation and evacuation A few lessons learned from this pilot: home assessments and instruction planning in their CWPP,Photo: no Cortez homes Journal/Jim were damaged Mimiaga in income communities. the 10,000-acre fire and all residents were evacuated • Allow plenty of time for outreach for for evacuation readiness, the resi- safely. A local youth training program, the every step, from seeking applicants, to dents got involved. An 80-year-old Southwest Conservation Corps, was seeking donations and volunteers. woman was installing weed barrier brought on to do the fuel reduction • Slash! Slash! Slash! You can never be and patterned stones around the work. A Volunteer Work Day was also base of the trees near her home. scheduled to address ember ignition over-prepared to deal with the biomass hazards at two homes. Contributions that will come from fuel reduction proj- • Assess the level of need for a new ects. Have plans A, B, and C and be sure from a wide range of donors helped program before undertaking it. An The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is make the day a success. By the end of to budget for a plan D. in-depth, low-income needs assess- supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire the day, decks were screened, weed • Combining mechanical projects with ment would have helped us better Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the cloth and gravel buffers were placed hand-thinning projects balances per-acre understand the specific needs of our USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department around homes, sections of wood fence treatment costs. communities. of the Interior. For more information, contact Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

An equal opportunity provider. v. 24 May 15 Chestatee- Chattahoochee Frank M. Riley, Jr. (706) 897-1676 RC&D Council [email protected]

COMMUNITIES working in Towns County, During its first year in the FAC Learning Network Georgia , Towns County including the communities of FAC increased the number of Firewise communities from three to ten. Admirals Point Asheland Cove Another ten communities are in the process of completing their plans, Brasstown Creek Estates holding their work days, and submitting the paper-work needed to be Wildfire calls in Towns County Campbell Terrace recognized as Firewise communities. Cedar Cliff Deerfield Estates http://FACNetwork.org have been reduced by 75 percent Frog Pond since starting the FAC/Firewise program. At a time when two neigh- Harris Ridge boring counties had 57 and 33 wildfires, Towns County had only Hi River Country seven. This is attributed to the constant messages from the FAC group Hiawassee Overlook about wildfire safety and risk reduction around homes. Our success Lake Forest is due largely to the formation of a FAC Citizens Coalition, made up of Leisure Woods Long View six local citizens and representatives from three fire agencies (the U.S. Nantahala Bay Forest Service, Georgia Forestry Commission and Towns County Fire). Pine Crest This coalition gives ownership to local citizens, while FAC hub leaders Plantation Villas can begin spreading the concept to other counties in the area. As a Posey Road result, new FAC programs have recently been started in White and Riverstone Volunteers at Leisure Woods Retirement Park— Lumpkin Counties in northeast Georgia, and more counties are Scarlets Way The current focus for this FAC group Shallow Creek Towns County’s second designated Photo: Firewise Frank Riley inquiring about starting their own FAC programs. Community—marking the first neighborhood Sherwood Forest chipper day. is to develop more Firewise Soapstone communities in the area, in order to further reduce wildfire calls. The Tate City group will continue to focus on homeowner education by all methods Twiggs Road Woodcrest available, and will work on private lands hazard mitigation where Young Harris College possible. Most of the wildland-urban interface is connected to national and expanding into White and forest land, which has limited opportunities for fuel reduction. How- Lumpkin Counties ever, the Forest Service is planning more prescribed burns in the future, which will help achieve the risk reduction that communities The long-term goal would like to see. for this FAC Learning Network hub is to continue Key Partners to actively spread FAC concepts among all of the 13 northeast Georgia Blue Ridge Mountain Electric The Nature Conservancy counties served by the Chestatee-Chattahoochee RC&D, and to help Membership Corporation Towns County— 911 Mapping, facilitate their spread across the South- Blue Ridge Mountain Soil & Chamber of Commerce, east through the learning network Water Conservation District County Commissioner, process. The team’s ultimate goal is to Broad River Soil & Water Conser- Emergency Management help make citizens’ homes and property vation District Services, Fire Corps, Fire safer from wildfire and to minimize losses, City of Hiawassee Rescue, Schools Partners from federal, state and thus boosting the economies and quality City of Young Harris Towns County FAC Citizens county agencies,Photo: as wellGFC/Tony as private Harkins Coalition of life of communities all across the citizens, make up the FAC coalition. Georgia Department of Towns County Home Owners region. Agriculture Georgia Department of Natural Association Making Things Happen for Rural America Resources Upper Chattahoochee River Soil is What RC&Ds Do Georgia Forestry Commission & Water Conservation District Georgia Mountain Regional USDA Forest Service— Workers are the most valuable • have a high degree of indepen- Chattahoochee-Oconee part of any program—and they can be dence to carry out activities that Commission the hardest part to find. But if you look will achieve their most important Hall County Soil & Water National Forest under the right rocks, most communi- goals. RC&D Council volunteers are Conservation District USDA Natural Resources ties have groups that will pitch in and leaders and community stakeholders Hiawassee River Watershed Conservation Service make a worthwhile project happen. One who play multiple roles and are typi- White County Homeowners long-standing organization of community cally involved in local government, Coalition Association volunteers that is often overlooked is the school boards, churches and other Lumpkin County Homeowners Resource Conservation & Development civic activities. Association White County—CERT, County Council. For most of their history, RC&D • know how to blend government Lumpkin County—CERT, County Commissioners, Emergency Councils were embedded in the Natural programs with local needs to Commissioners, Emergency Management, Fire Rescue Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, produce results. Young Harris College formerly the Soil Conservation Service) Management, Fire • were for many years the commu- and not very visible. But RC&D Councils Department and individual community HOAs nity outreach arm of the NRCS, are made up of community volunteers and funding flowed through them Stephens County Soil & Water who are always looking for projects into communities. However in recent Conservation District where they can make a difference in a years RC&Ds have suffered budget community. cuts and many are scrambling. Fire Adapted Communities organizers • are a perfect fit with FAC should know that RC&D Councils: programs because both aim to help • are 501(c)3 not-for-profit corpo- local people and make life in their The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is rations—not government entities—so communities better and safer. supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire some of the policies and constraints Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- Excerpted from a post on the Fire Adapted tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the of local, state and federal govern- Communities Learning Network blog—see the USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department ment programs do not limit them. post at http://facnetwork.org/rcds-and-fac/ of the Interior. For more information, contact Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

Photo: Frank Riley Community engagement strategies include plenty An equal opportunity provider. v. 18 May 15 of outreach to schools. Boise Fire Capt. Jerry McAdams (208) 570-6576 Department [email protected]

COMMUNITIES working in Ada County, Idaho The Boise Fire Department City of Boise communities: is engaged in many FAC activities Boise Heights NA / Collister supported by a variety of grants and through its participation in the NA / Cove East / Dallas Harris Estates / East End NA FAC Learning Network. Most work directly tied to the FAC Learning / Harris Ranch NA / Highland Network is beginning in 2015. Leading up to that, the Boise Fire NA / Homestead Rim / Hulls Department had been busy with many wildfire mitigation projects, Grove / Oregon Trail Heights including managing numerous projects supported by its partner, the / River Heights / Surprise http://FACNetwork.org Southwest Idaho RC&D. These included creating fuel breaks through Valley sagebrush thinning, goat grazing, herbicide applications and re- Firewise Communities seeding. Another project funded by the RC&D is the acquisition and Briarhill / Central Foothills / installation of a Remote Automatic Weather Station (RAWS) in the Columbia Village / Morning- side Heights / Quail Ridge / Boise Front, which includes a VHF radio that can alert firefighters, in Warm Springs Mesa real time, to changing weather conditions during wildland firefighting City of Eagle operations. City of Boise Neighborhood Reinvestment Grant funding Hidden Springs Town Association has supported chipping of hazardous fuels for homeowners in targeted neighborhoods throughout the Boise wildland-urban interface. The Boise Fire Department also recently learned that it will obtain funding, through a Western States Fire Grant and matching partnership funds from Ada County Emergency Management, to acquire remote sensing COMMUNITY PARTNERS (LiDAR) data; this will enable creation of a county-wide wildfire risk Ada County Emergency Management Eagle Fire Protection District mapSharing that what will improve has been assessment learned and planning. Ada County Juvenile Court Services East End Neighborhood Association Ada County Parks & Waterways Flutterby Gardens Landscaping LLC is also important to the department Boise Fire Department and North End Organic Nursery and its partners. For example, a tour for the Public Lands Foundation Boise Heights Neighborhood Forest Management Inc. examined an area where a fatal wildland fire occurred, and where Association Harris Ranch—Dallas Harris Estates several years of phased wildfire mitigation work have taken place to Boise Parks Department Harris Ranch Neighborhood reduce future risks. A similar, more in-depth, version of this tour was Boise Planning & Development Association Services Harris Ranch Wildlife Mitigation part of the IAWF International Wildland Fire Safety Summit and Boise Police Department Association Human Dimensions of Wildland Fire Conference, held in April 2015 in Briarhill Owners’ Association Healthy Hills Initiative Boise. This tour was also provided to a group of eight personnel from Bureau of Land Management— Highlands Neighborhood Association the Austin Fire Department Wildfire Division, as part of an Austin- Boise District Idaho Power Boise learning exchange, sponsored by the FAC Learning Network. Central Foothills Neighborhood Morningside Heights HOA The Boise Fire Department also shares its expertise in classes at the Association Quail Ridge Neighborhood City of Eagle Parks & Recreation Association National Interagency Fire Center and at Boise Fire Headquarters, Collister Neighborhood Association Stone Creek Fire LLC teaching segments on FAC, Ready, Set, Go!, Firewise and local wildfire Participation in the 2014 FAC Learning Network workshop Columbia Village Owners’ USDA Agricultural Research Service mitigation activities to professional firefighters. Association Warm Springs Mesa Neighborhood CT Biological Weed and Brush Association enabled Control Inc. the Boise Fire Department to make new contacts and learn a great deal about wildfire mitigation initiatives around the country. The REGIONAL PARTNERS department has found that using FAC concepts and messaging helps Boise State University—Department International Association of Fire more efficiently streamline and of Community & Regional Chiefs—Ready, Set, Go! tailor mitigation and public outreach Planning; Department of Geo- International Association of Wildland sciences; Public Policy Center Fire activities, and provides opportunities Bureau of Land Management National Interagency Coordination to share experiences with others. Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security Center The Boise Fire Department’s long- Idaho Department of Fish & Game Southwest Idaho RC&D term FAC goal is to bring in additional Idaho Firewise University of Idaho—Department of Participants in Public Lands Foundation Agricultural Economics & Rural partners and provide consistent, tour of the Oregon Trail pause at an inter- Idaho Transportation Department— pretive point. Signage with take-home flyers District #3 Sociology effective county-wide public outreach, is used to share information about mitiga- in addition to ongoing boots-on-the- tion projectsPhoto: and increase Boise Fire communication Dept./C. Colwell about fire adapted communities concepts. ground wildfire mitigation activities. Highlight: Boise-Austin Learning Exchanges At the 2014 FAC Learning Network workshop, network members from Boise and Austin discovered that—though their geographies are different, and separated by many hundreds of miles—these large municipalities face similar WUI challenges. Post on the Fire Adapted Communities They hatched the idea of conducting some Learning Network blog on-site learning exchanges to enhance both http://facnetwork.org/fire-departments-conduct- fac-exchange/ departments’ programs, and to generate “FAC Notes from the Field” handout some best practices and lessons learned that The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is http://www.conservationgateway.org/ supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire could help other municipal fire departments. ConservationPractices/FireLandscapes/fac/facnet/ Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- Pages/FACNotes-Austin-Boise-Feb2015.aspx The first exchange took place in February Goat grazing is one of the treatments being used tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the 2015, in Texas, and highlights and lessons Video to reduce fuels. Above, before and after grazing USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department http://facnetwork.org/new-fac-learning-network- Photo: Boise Fire Dept./M. Beaudoin of the Interior. For more information, contact on a slope in the Oregon Trail area. were captured in several forms. video/ More about this mitigation project can be found in a Nick Goulette ([email protected]). post on the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog at http://facnetwork.org/oregon- trail-landscape-scale-revegetation-project/ An equal opportunity provider. v. 24 May 15 Florida Forest Ronda Sutphen (850) 681-5929 Service [email protected]

Key Partners Baker County Baker County embraces a vision Baker County Fire Department of safely living with wildland fire, and Citizens Corp brings this with it to the FAC Learning Network. The county has a long City of Macclenny history of wildfire activity, which makes FAC a logical and needed next Florida Division of Emergency step. The concepts of FAC align well with existing local efforts, includ- Management ing the Local Mitigation Strategy, Community Wildfire Protection Plans Flatwoods Management, LLC and Action Plans, and Firewise Communities. The Florida Forest Service Florida Forest Service http://FACNetwork.org also actively partners with the Osceola National Forest, Baker County Greater Okefenokee Fire Department and other local coordinators to successfully implement Association of Landowners COMMUNITIES mitigation efforts, such as annual cleanup days, continued work on the North Florida Prescribed Fire working in Baker County, control line around Taylor Firewise Community, and prescribed fire as- Council Florida sistanceAs part ofon their private, participation state and federal lands. Northeast Florida Chapter American Red Cross in the FAC Learning Network, the Florida Plum Creek Timber Company Forest service works with new and existing partners in Baker County to Taylor Firewise USA undertake FAC activities that address mitigation challenges and oppor- Community tunities. A significant kickoff event in October 2014 brought community The Longleaf Alliance leaders and stakeholders together to learn about FAC and its importance The Nature Conservancy to Baker County and surrounding communities. The event also show- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service— cased a number of planned FAC activities highlighting the county as a Okefenokee National FAC Learning Network pilot community. These activities fall broadly into Wildlife Refuge the following categories: wildland fuel management, community out- USDA Forest Service reach and education, Firewise Communities engagement through build- ing retrofits and landscaping, policy and regulatory recommendations, andThe wildlandFlorida Forestfire response Service improvements. and county cooperators

rely on partnerships to help coordinate FAC activities. As future efforts unfold, they will also look to reconvene existing collaboratives; recruit new partners; and build relationships All photos: Florida Forest Service A Florida Forest Service ranger blows leaves At a Taylor Firewise Community work day, neighbors work and then play together to help pre- with planning, zoning, and building code from a roof as part of wildfire mitigation efforts. pare the community for wildfire. development and enforcement staff. Highlights of 2014/2015 Work

A kickoff event on October 20, 2014 brought community leaders, stake- holders and key partners together to learn about the idea of fire adapted communities and its importance to Baker County and surrounding communities. The 2012 Baker County CWPP was updated to incorporate FAC concepts. A key plan element updated was the vulnerability assessment and mapping of at-risk areas—the WUI Community Two Taylor Firewise Community Protection Zones. Using the new Days and an event with the Longleaf Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal Initiative’s Okefenokee/Osceola Local CAR Editor Application ensures that Implementation Team highlighted Highlights of 2015/2016 Plans timely assessments drive mitigation Taylor Community and Baker County planning activities. Peer-leader learning workshops Residents will be introduced as models of wildfire preparedness and will support planning, provide train- to the Ready, Set, Go! program A mechanical treatment and mitigation for adjacent communities. ing in the use of the FAC Network’s through county fire department and prescribed fire demonstration for The events featured FAC materials, self-assessment tool and offer pre- law enforcement efforts to help them public officials and land managers was displays and presentations that show- sentations on the Florida Wildfire Risk learn about preparing for wildfire, held on a 2,400-acre private forest cased FAC, CWPPs, Firewise landscap- Assessment Score Sheet. developing situational awareness and plantation and hunting preserve. As the ing, Firewise principles of defensible Fire Prevention Teams will help planning for evacuation. landowner noted, “the burning away of space, ignition-resistant construction, reduce human-caused wildfires, forest brush has economic benefits in hazardous fuel reduction and the IAFC Continuing outreach will engage with efforts set up in conjunction with addition to ecological ones.” Ready, Set, Go! program. residents and assess hazards, host ongoing wildfire awareness activities of tours of successful defensible space the Baker County FAC. and mitigation projects, and otherwise Utility and insurance companies promote fire adapted communities. will be sought as potential partners. Resistant landowners will be Three more Firewise Communities reached with multiple messages will be created in Baker County (using (about fire danger, forest health, Title III funds). wildlife etc.).

The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior. For more information, contact Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

An equal opportunity provider. v. 18 May 15 Island Park

Sustainable (208) 680-6852 [email protected] Fire Community www.islandparksustainablefirecommunity.com

COMMUNITIES The Island Park Sustainable Fire Community working in Island Park, Idaho and (IPSFC) is a West Yellowstone, Montana collaborative group consisting of concerned citizens as well as representatives from private businesses; non-profit organizations; and local, state and federal government agencies. The IPSFC is working hard to help make Island Park and West Yellowstone fire We are committed Key Partners adapted communities. http://FACNetwork.org City of Island Park to developing strong social and ecological To build those strong communities Farm Bureau Insurance communities that live with fire. Fire Safe Landscaping, LLC , we developed a strategic plan Fremont County and a five- year implementation plan with help from Fire Learning Greater Yellowstone Coalition Network. We also developed an outreach and education plan. Guiding Hebgen Lake Fire Department our work is a full-time project coordinator, and we have two part-time High Country RC&D outreach representatives who are responsible for contacting Idaho Bureau of Homeland Our work includes individual homeowners. Security Idaho Department of Lands risk evaluations for homeowners, fuels reduction Idaho State Fire Marshall OUR VISION demonstration projects (and tours of those projects), outreach and Island Park Volunteer Fire Human and ecological education about wildfire, hosting a website and Facebook page, and Department Wildfire Awareness Week communities of slash pickup days. The Nature Conservancy— Island Park and in 2014 reached about 300 people, and Idaho (Flat Ranch) we will hold a similar week in 2015. Topics discussed include wildfire USDA Forest Service—Caribou- West Yellowstone risk to homes; wildfire insurance coverage for homes and property; Targhee and Gallatin are resilient to fire, National Forests (Ashton/ forest insects and diseases in the area; and the Ready, Set, Go! program. insect and disease Island Park and Hebgen through awareness, Activities during the week include games and prizes for kids, meeting Lake Ranger Districts) Smokey Bear, and demonstrations by the Island Park volunteer fire outreach and action. Our outreach representatives and local homeowners department and the Forest Service Fire Crew. contacted about 200 people in 2014. This led to requests from 87 property owners to complete risk evaluations on their properties. This effort will continue in 2015, to encourage additional fuels reduction work. The representatives hand out informational brochures, let property owners know about our organization and services such as risk evaluations, Wildfire Aware- We provided slash pick up ness Week and slash pickup days. in two subdivisions last year. Due the huge success of this effort, we will expand slash pick-up to all of

Island Park. We will also continue to offer free home and lot evalua- In early 2015, the Island Park Sustainable Fire. tions. These services are in response to the needs of homeowners in Community received the Intermountain Regional Forester Award for Conserving Open Space the area—they have told us they want to know what to do to reduce Fuels were cut and ready for removal at one of Another program expansion the four. defensible space demonstration Photo: Jessica Simpson projects fuels and to have a place or mechanism to use to dispose slash. completed by the Island Park collaborative in in 2015 will be in demonstration prop- 2014 erties. We completed four demonstration sites in 2014, and will do another 10 this year so that more residents can see what a properly mitigated home or lot looks like. We will also begin a cost-share fuels reduction program, in which we will cover 75 percent of the costs for property owners who invest 25 percent in their project. Lessons Learned: Successful Field Tour of Prescribed Burn Project

Excerpts from a post on the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog—to read Lessons learned from the experience: the whole post, go to http://facnetwork.org/ “I enjoyed this interaction and will 1. Don’t overwhelm people with “experts.” lessons-successful-field-tour/ take this approach more often. I won’t think of this project in a Forest Service participation was kept to Last fall, the District Ranger toured a negative vein anymore and will look just a fuels specialist and the District prescribed burn site with a group who forward to interacting with these Ranger/forest ecologist. “did not appreciate” how she was manag- folks in the future.” 2. Talking is one thing—SHOWING what ing the National Forest adjacent to their —— District Ranger you have accomplished and what you homes. They had held meetings before, expect to accomplish is another ballgame. but this was the first field tour. The

burns—partly completed at that point— 3. Including other interested persons who don’t have a stake in the game can Smokey Bear was a popularPhoto: visitor Jessica at Island Simpson were to intended to remove conifers and Park’s first Wildfire Awareness Week. mature aspen trees and stimulate aspen help defuse the situation and make for a more robust, interesting discussion. regeneration through suckering. Home- The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is owners were adamantly opposed, fearing 4. Scheduling to accommodate people’s supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire it would threaten their homes, leave a schedules is important. Demonstrating Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the black scar in their backyard and not flexibility and interest in community input USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department accomplish the planned goals. Photos TNC/Guy Duffner count. of the Interior. For more information, contact Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

An equal opportunity provider. v. 19 May 15 Dovetail Kathryn Fernholz [email protected] Partners (612) 333-0430

Key Partners Ely, Minnesota is a community Eagles Nest Township Ely Emergency Preparedness within hiking distance of the Committee Canadian border and about a 4-hour drive north of the Twin Cities. Firewise—Northeast Regional Ely also provides a gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Specialist Wilderness, drawing residents and visitors from all over the world. Lake County With a population of about 3,400, Ely is in the middle of a complex Minnesota Department of landscape. Forests in this region have regrown from the heyday of Natural Resources http://FACNetwork.org railroadEly is on logging the frontlines and Paul Bunyan more than 100 years ago. Morse/Fall Lake Fire Department of wildfire risk for many reasons. The area USDA Forest Service COMMUNITY has beautiful forests, but the forests are thick with balsam fir which Vermilion Community College working in Ely, Minnesota burns like paper when green and is almost as bad as a box of matches when it is dead and dry. The balsam fir and other understory growth in the forests around Ely can act as ladder fuel and increases the risk fromIn the fires, summer such asof the2014 May 2012 Highway 1 Fire. FIRE SAFE COUNCIL , local Ely FAC partners came together to VISION implement a chipper day fuels reduction project. This event has To engage and encourage sparked the interest of more neighborhoods, residents and lake community partnerships to associations. Additional chipper days are being planned, and local establish a wildfire resilient leadershipPartners have and capacitydiscussed are developing. landscape for Ely and the surrounding wildland-urban the possibility of developing an Ely Area interface. Fire Safe Council. The goal of the Council would be to engage and encourage community partnerships to identify and establish a wild- fire resilient landscape for Ely and the surrounding wildland-urban interface. The main objectives are to provide education and demon- strations of Firewise best practices, and continue to identify and implement fuels reduction projects using the county as a baseline.We will continue to explore how to collaborate with the Ely Emergency Preparedness Committee to establish evacua- tion strategies for Ely residents. County Emergency managers are also part of identifying much-

needed evacuation plans and Above, left: routes in the surrounding For Ely, being fire adapted Work in Ely has benefitted from the FAC Networkin A FAC and Firewise presentation wildland-urban interface. held at the Morse/Fall Lake Fire Department so many ways – it has been like getting a jump start! was aimed at raising awareness Photo: about Gloria the Erickson need for homeowners in the Ely region to create Seeing what other groups have done has helped the work Above, right: requires balancing recreation defensible space. in Ely by providing everything from helpful advice and The owners of this lake resort needs, resource utilization and have worked with the FirewisePhoto: program Lake in County Lake public safety. That’s not always examples to actual templates for the flyers and postcards County and the Forest Service to mitigate wild- fire risk on their property. an easy balance to strike, but we used to raise awareness of chipper day opportunities. Below: are making progress. FAC Network friends and colleagues are an Ely’s first annual Chipper Photo: Day Gloria was Erickson irreplaceable resource for helping understand what sponsored by local FAC partners in the summer of 2014. has worked (or not worked!) in other places and making informed decisions about what we want to do here.

The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior. For more information, contact Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

An equal opportunity provider. v. 18 May 15 Tahoe Fire Forest Schafer [email protected] & Fuels Team (775) 690-7506

COMMUNITIES working in Lake Tahoe With seven fire districts, five counties, and two states Basin—Washoe and Douglas the Lake Tahoe Counties in Nevada and El Dorado and Placer Counties Basin presents unique challenges for coordinating FAC activities. Since in California joining the FAC Learning Network, fire, land management, and regulatory agencies have strengthened partnerships by formalizing the role each plays in creating a Fire Adapted Community. The association of 15 organizations, called the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team, recently completed http://FACNetwork.org the Multi-Jurisdictional Fuel Reduction and Wildfire Prevention Strategy. This strategy creates a framework for information exchange, resource sharing, Key Partners and coordinated education and outreach California Department of Until 2011 across jurisdictional boundaries. Actions from community work days to information Forestry and Fire Protection tables at block parties, and from chipper days to con- , a non-profit organization provided substantial support to ducting prescribed burns, are being offered to help California State Parks communities preparePhotos: to live Tahoe safely Douglas in a landscape FPD (far withleft), California Tahoe Conservancy Lake Tahoe communities working to reduce fire risk. When the non- inevitable wildfires. North Lake Tahoe FPD (others) profit went bankrupt, it left communities without support and financial City of South Lake Tahoe Fire assistance. The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team is focused on rebuilding sup- Department port functions for the public, and increasing their involvement in basin- Fallen Leaf Lake Fire wide decision making processes. Key to rebuilding is a project to review Department the factors that lead to a neighborhood’s continued success, difficulty, or Fire Public Information Team eventual disinterest. The process will identify the organizational strate- Lake Valley Fire Protection Failure gains value gies that the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team will promote in the future. District when participating in a learning network. Lake Meeks Bay Fire Protection Tahoe organizations have shared their successes and challenges, and in District turn have learned from others throughout the nation. Methods for shar- Nevada Division of Forestry ing and collaborating are being adapted from the national program for Nevada Division of State Lands use in regional networks. Participation in the FAC Network has helped Nevada Network of Fire build a culture where organizations are encouraged to take calculated Adapted Communities risks that can lead to important breakthroughs and innovations in Nevada Tahoe Conservation Wildfire is inevitable becoming fire adapted. District North Lake Tahoe Fire in the Lake Tahoe Basin, but catastrophic fire is Protection District preventable. Through FAC programs, the character of the community Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection and the landscape is gradually shifting to become more fire-adapted. To District continue the transition, the team is striving for an effective partnership Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team of agencies and the public that can be sustained without the need for To provide cost-effective maintenance outside funding. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency of fuels reduction treatments, University of Nevada— Basin agencies seek to increase the use of prescribed fire, especially on Cooperative Extension private and local government land. The land is often adjacent to homes USDA Forest Service—Lake and businesses, and the understory burns are technically difficult to im- Tahoe Basin Management plement. Increased burning will be facilitated by: exchanging resources, Unit knowledge, and training to build the skill base in the Basin; increasing South Tahoe High School students help show off the structure and landscaping ignition resistance to allow understory fire to Ember House, an activity Photo: for Tahoekids to Fire learn and about Fuels how Team be safely applied nearby; and developing agreements and processes for embers catch houses on fire. burns that span federal, state, local and private ownerships. Public Information Working Groups Create Wildfire Awareness Excerpts from a post on the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog—to read the whole post, go to http://facnetwork.org/public-information-working-groups-create-wildfire-awareness/ Each year, the Fire PIT chooses a theme that will inspire actions to reduce wildfire risk to homes To deliver coordinated messaging to and communities. Themes have focused on defen- the residents and visitors of the Lake Tahoe sible space, ember preparedness and community left involvement. Planners also give presentations on More Information Basin, local organizations formed the Fire University of California Master Gardeners ( ) talk about fireright re- Public Information Team (Fire PIT). This wildfire awareness to 6th graders during the same sistant landscaping at a wildfire awareness month kick-off event, For another blog post from this standing working group consists of public period. In the last five years, over 60 events have and Tahoe Resource Conservation DistrictPhotos: staff Tahoe members Fire and ( Fuels) explain the fire triangle to 6th graders at South Tahoe Middle partnership, “Fire Department Crews information and education staff from local been held, reaching more than 6,500 participants. School. 10 agencies conduct burns in the Lake Tahoe Work with Community,” go to fire departments, regulatory agencies, state Promotion and Education Campaigns Basin, making it difficult for the community forestry agencies, the Forest Service, and to know who’s burning where, and when. To http://facnetwork.org/fire-department Cooperative Extensions in both Nevada and The Fire PIT holds coordinated media campaigns, with publications, TV and radio appearances, radio address this, the Fire PIT acts as a clearing- -community-work-together-create- California. The goal of the Fire PIT is to pro- house for prescribed fire information. Weekly defensible-space/ actively inform and educate the public on and newspaper public service announcements, direct mail, banners and posters. All promotions press releases provide details on the location how to protect lives, communities, property and plan for all prescribed fire activities in For more about the Tahoe Fire and and the exceptional natural resources of direct residents to the Living with Fire in the Lake Tahoe Basin website maintained by the University the Lake Tahoe Basin, across all land owner- Fuels Team, visit their website: Lake Tahoe. Team products include annual ships and jurisdictions. wildfire awareness events, coordinated me- of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE). Out- http://tahoefft.org dia releases and outreach campaigns. reach materials developed by UNCE are used by A standing working group of education and all basin agencies to deliver a consistent message public information staff in the Lake Tahoe Annual Wildfire Awareness Events on fire adapted community principles. basin has facilitated interagency cooperation, The Fire PIT has been promoting Wildfire Coordinated Media Releases and has strengthened communication and Awareness Weeks (or Months) since 2010. support between agencies and the public. The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is Volunteers and staff from more than 20 The Fire PIT develops monthly themed press By working together to synthesize wildfire supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire organizations have collaborated to host releases that are shared widely on individual mitigation, information and education efforts, organizations’ social media. Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- outreach events, and conduct a media teams like the Fire PIT can help protect and tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the campaign to promote different aspects of Recently, collaboration has expanded in the form create healthy, vibrant fire adapted USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department fire adapted communities. of joint messaging on prescribed fires. More than communities. of the Interior. For more information, contact Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

An equal opportunity provider. v. 21 May 15 Mercer County

Soil Conservation William F. Brash, Jr. [email protected] District (609) 586-9603

Key Partners Barnegat Township is “ground zero” Barnegat Fire Company Barnegat Township for wildland-urban interface Horizons at Barnegat (WUI) in New Jersey, as it is located in the heart of the New Jersey Mirage at Barnegat Pine Barrens, an extremely flammable ecosystem. The area has become New Jersey Forest Fire Service popular with retirees, who are mainly new to the area and have little New Jersey Forest Service Our fire adapted communities work or no understanding of their fire risk. Sustainable Jersey http://FACNetwork.org has been at two scales. At the local level, the Barnegat Fire Company has been conducting work- shops with Barnegat Township communities to keep them informed COMMUNITIES of the risk reduction efforts being made. Two Firewise Communities working in —Horizons and Mirage—have talented, motivated liaisons that keep Barnegat Township, their communities informed and productive in reducing risk through New Jersey mechanical fuel reduction projects. They have also begun spreading the FAC word to other WUI communities in Barnegat Township and beyond. Our top priorities in Barnegat Township are to continue to Top promote Firewise and Ready, Set, Go! in the most vulnerable neighbor- : The 2007 Warren Grove Wildfire burned hoods, and to create additional evacuation routes for one of our largest behind businessesPhoto: NJ Forest on County Fire Service/Kevin Route 72 Burke At the state level in Barnegat Township. WUI communities. Bottom we are working with the environmental community : Wildfire burned right to the brink of the mobile home community of Brighton at to promote wildland fire resiliency through the Sustainable Jersey Barnegat. The FAC Learning Network has led Program. This involves developing a suite of emergency preparedness to new relationships with residents and the owner of the community, with an emphasis on actions tied to the Sustainable Jersey Program. To reduce their risk the Firewise and Ready,Photo: Set, NJ Go! Forest programs Fire Service and and be certified as “sustainable” under that program, communities on wildfire resiliency. implement wildfire preparedness programs and other actions. These may include the Firewise and Ready, Set, Go! programs, developing From Uninformed and Apprehensive to Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) and Community Prepared for Wildfire—Eight Observations Forestry Management Plans, and instituting a Fire Safe Council to Excerpts from a post on the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog—for the whole coordinate efforts at the municipal level. We have worked with post (including some background on the fire-adapted pine barrens ecosystems in this area) go to http://facnetwork.org/becoming-fire-adapted-evolutionary-process-pine-barrens/ Sustainable Jersey to define this suite of emergency preparedness actions, and have drafted a model municipal ordinance that munici- 1. People are smart and quick to apply wildfire messages to their personal palitiesBeing part can ofadapt the toFAC initiate Learning their Network own Fire Safe Councils. lives and their community. has been very beneficial 2. Keep the message simple and be patient. People will ask the questions that need to be asked as they become better informed. for Barnegat. We have learned about the value and potential for Fire Safe Councils at both the local and statewide levels, and as a result 3. People become smarter and make the right decisions when they are properly informed. hope to form and support as many local councils as are needed to benefitOur long-term New Jersey’s goals WUI are residents.to create 4. Technical and financial assistance is available, and being informed allows residents and communities to better access these resources. a network of fire resilient 5. Better informed residents and communities can drive the allocation of municipalities using existing fire prevention and mitigation programs, additional resources. and to coordinate those efforts through a statewide Fire Safe Council 6. As a wildfire leader and conveyor of technical assistance we are not the that trains local members and targets funding to motivated and bus driver in this process but the gondola driver, using the resources at educated councils where theWildfire prevention Fuel efforts Hazard provide for Oceanthe best County return hand to guide informed residents where THEY wish to go. on investment. In this 7. The importance of identification and reliance on a local leader cannot way we hope to bring be overemphasized. Once that key person is identified, the single biggest additional state and hurdle is cleared. federal resources to 8. Becoming organized and having a plan makes people feel they are in New Jersey’s FAC control of their lives. This is a universal need that will drive the fire adaptation process. efforts.

water low moderate high very high extreme urban Barnegat Township The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is agriculture supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire barren land Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- Map tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior. For more information, contact : In Ocean County there are Nick Goulette ([email protected]). 56 retirement communities, with a total of 125,000 residents. Map: NJ Forest Fire Service Photo: © Brian Gabriel, Of these, five communities March 2010 ParamountOcean CountyFire in BarnegatFire Coordinator (with 7,400 people) are in Township. An equal opportunity provider. v. 18 May 15 Barnegat Township. Forest Eytan Krasilovsky (505) 983-8992 x 16 Guild [email protected]

COMMUNITIES Public and stakeholder engagement working in Santa Fe and McKinley Counties is a high priority for this part- in New Mexico nership, as is building capacity to implement projects that support and the communities of fire adapted communities in northern New Mexico. In 2014 we made Angel Fire, Black Lake, tremendousThe Forest Guild strides joined on both fronts. Breadsprings, Dixon, La Cueva, Penasco, Santa Fe, Timber the New Mexico Wildland Urban Interface Lake Ranches http://FACNetwork.org Summit planning team in the spring and helped plan the three-day event around the theme of fire adapted communities. The summit drew more than 110 people from around the state. Throughout the year, the FACLN continued to work with the City of Santa Fe FAC Key Partners Coalition and the budding Wildfire Network. The Nature Conservancy Angel Fire—Fire Department invested in local FAC efforts to expand impact by convening two peer Black Lake—Fire Department learning workshops in the Rio Grande Water Fund region. In October, Chris’s Tree Service the first workshop brought together participants from northern New City of Santa Fe—Fire Mexico and a FAC leader from southwest Colorado to bring a fresh Department Other outreach efforts outside perspective. Fire Services Support, LLC have included: La Cueva Road • overhauling the www.fireadaptednewmexico.org website based on McKinley County Kids gather. around a matchstick “forest Photo: fire” Forest demon Guild- New Mexico Association of feedback from FAC partners; stration at an Earth Day outreach event in Santa Fe. • discussing FAC issues on the local radio program Radio Café; Counties • giving FAC presentations at the Southwest Fire Science Consor- New Mexico State Forestry tium Forest Resiliency conference—interviews here resulted in New Mexico State Land Office three articles in major media outlets mentioning FAC concepts— Santa Fe County and “Wildland Smoke in the Air—What Does it Mean to ME?” Santa Fe County Commissioners workshop; The Nature Conservancy—New Mexico • presenting the webinar “Working Across Fence Lines: Multi- USDA Forest Service—Santa Fe jurisdictional Planning and Prescribed Fire” that shared experiences National Forest (Pecos/Las from two Forest Guild projects in northern New Mexico. Vegas Ranger District) In addition, in a project that combined outreach and implementation, The Prescribed Fire Training Exchange held in the fall of 2014 combined training, treatments and outreach— 55 rural youth worked in eight crews across six districts on three na- as when a local reporter conductedPhoto: NMSF/Mary a video interview Stuever with the NM State Lands Forester during ignitions. tional forests on fire adapted communities and conservation projects likeTo expand fuels reduction and leverage and prescribed fire line construction. Working Toward FAC: Cross-Training the Workforce FAC Excerpt from a post on the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog—to read the post, go to http://facnetwork.org/cooperative-burning/ Learning Network investments, On the Ruidoso WUI Interagency Fuel Reduction and Prescribed “Some guys in our the Guild secured three new Fire Implementation Project, local firefighters assist the Lincoln NF department don’t funding sources in 2014. A three- on prescribed burns. The project reduces the fuel loading in the have any wildland WUI, provides training, promotes the use of controlled burning, experience, this year FAC-targeted implementa- and improves interagency coordination. Working with personnel is a great way to tion project supported by the from different agencies builds camaraderie and improves commu- expose them to nication on wildfire incidents—and with the additional resources, it since structure Forest Service Collaborative the Forest can take advantage of good burn days when it other- fires are so Forest Restoration Program will wise would have insufficient personnel. different.” restore forests and improve The Prescribed Fire Training Photo: Exchange NMSLO/Mark helped build Meyers watershed conditions across 350- local capacity while treating fuels on 255 acres near 450 acres in the Rio Trampas Black Lake. watershed. Implementation of Working Toward FAC: Burning on Private Land the new FAC self-assessment Excerpts from a post on the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog—see the whole post at http://facnetwork.org/forest-guild-completes-first-controlled-burn-on-private-land-in-la-cueva-new-mexico/ tool is part of this project and is In early 2015 the Forest Guild completed Broadcast burning experience in Black already underway. A home risk its first pile burn on private land in Santa Lake in 2013-2014 helped us call on vol- reduction grant from the New Fe County, treating 6.5 acres that had been unteers and partners, including the City of thinned the previous spring. The objectives Santa Fe Wildland Division, for assistance. Mexico Association of Counties of the project—supported in part by Scaling The City engaged, even though the site is will be used to implement actions -up to Promote Ecosystem Restoration outside their jurisdiction, because they rec- (SPER)—were to reduce wildfire risk and ognized that this community posed a risk recommended in the 2013 improve forest health. The community of to the City’s municipal watershed. They McKinley County CWPP; this La Cueva was selected due to its high risk also knew that this would be a valuable cost-share grant will help 30-40 rating in the county’s CWPP and its proxim- training opportunity for their firefighters. ity to densely forested national forest land. homeowners reduce their risk. The two days of burning were success- In New Mexico, counties manage burning ful, and burn objectives were met. The Pile burning in La Cueva: with snow And FAC partner Fire Service on private land, so standards and practices stage is now set to complete the remaining on the ground and 8 degree tem- Support is working on a project vary between counties. In Santa Fe County, piles in La Cueva next season. More work peratures, landownersPhoto: ignited Forest theGuild there was no precedent for a project like is still needed in this community, and other first pile of the day. for the New Mexico Association this—ordinarily, landowners are allowed to high-risk communities ringing the south- The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is of Counties that will expand the burn just one pile at a time. This would not ern Sangre de Cristo Mountains also need supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire be practical for 6.5 acres, so the Guild and management attention. We will leverage Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- tablet-based home-site risk tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the Fire Service Support wrote a burn plan and the lessons learned from this project as we USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department assessment program in Santa Fe worked with the County Fire Marshall to continue to work with the County on our of the Interior. For more information, contact Nick Goulette ([email protected]). County into the high-risk obtain a permit. wildland fire challenges. community of Turquoise Trail by training volunteer firefighters to An equal opportunity provider. v. 18 May 15 do assessments. Southern Oregon

Forest Restoration George McKinley [email protected] Collaborative www.sofrc.org

COMMUNITIES The Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative working in Jackson and Josephine Counties, (SOFRC) Oregon works to build support and strategies for cohesive forest restoration across the dry forests of southwest Oregon. Our goal is to create resilient forests and communities, support coordinated forest planning, and maintain a vibrant forest management and utilization infra- structure. While our focus is on federal lands, the checkerboard land- http://FACNetwork.org scape of the region encourages an all-lands approach to achieve Our recently-completed integrated forest restoration goals. Key Partners Illinois Valley Timber Sustainability Applegate Fire District Assessment identified an available, cost-effective, restoration-based Bureau of Land Management— federal timber supply that helped leverage state and national invest- Medford District ments to enable the retooling and reopening of a local mill, which City of Ashland will provide 70 jobs to the rural community. The assessment worked City of Grants Pass About 15 miles east of Ashland, a plume rises Jackson County within current federal forest management guidelines and land from the Oregon Gulch Fire,Photo: which George burned McKinley allocations, and received support from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service about 35,000 acres in summer 2014. Jackson County Fire District 3 inWorking its effort in to the conserve context northern spotted owl habitat. Josephine County Cohesive Forest Restoration Strategy for the Rogue Basin Lomakatsi Restoration Project of the The Illinois Valley Assessment (below) was key to the developing cohesive Oregon Department of Forestry Western Action Plan of the strategy for the 2.9 million acres of the Rogue Basin. The strategy will identify and prioritize 50,000 acres of project areas to promote resilient land- Oregon State University— National Wildfire Cohesive scapes, diverse habitats, fire-adapted human communities, and a predictable Extension Service Strategy, SOFRC is working with flow of economic benefits and other ecosystem services—and will be integral The Nature Conservancy two counties to complete county- to updating the Jackson and Josephine County Fire Plans and will inform U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service regional CWPPs. based integrated fire plans. This USDA Forest Service—Rogue process encourages coordination River-Siskiyou National Legend Forest in local efforts to integrate the County Boundaries three Cohesive Strategy goals— WUI (County Fire Plans) At-Risk Communities resilient forests, fire adapted Ownership communities and coordinated BLM PD BLM OC wildfire planning and suppres- Other Federal County sion activity. Integrated risk NPS assessments are key to the county Private (Industrial) Private (Non-Industrial) plans, and will help determine State priority needs and opportunities USFS USFS OC across the region. The year 2015 will be a benchmark for vetting A map of Josephine and Jackson Counties (outlined in yellow) shows the extent the plans for community and of WUI (outlined in red) within the counties. Also evident is the large area agency support, and for advancing occupied by communities considered at risk from wildfire (red areas); these SOFRC has also completed include Grants Pass in Josephine County and Ashland and Medford Map:in Jackson SOFRC associated action plans. County. In the background, the checkerboard pattern of ownership can be seen . a climate adaptation action plan Recent Highlight: for the Rogue Basin. The plan will Wildfire Preparations Go to School help guide forest restoration One of the 65 Firewise grants for community projects awarded by the planning and implementation, National Fire Protection Association in 2015 (with support from State Farm) given the expectation of shifting went to the Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative and Applegate Fire District. They used the grant to help middle-school students at Ruch precipitation patterns and School make their school—and their community—better prepared for fire. increased wildfire activity. It will The students learned how to identify some common risks and about the Students in grades 6 and 7 cleared brush near also help inform discussions of their school as part of their learning—andPhoto: SOFRC doing three home ignition zones. Then they pulled on their gloves and did some the expected impacts of climate —about becoming better adapted to fire. work, planting fire resistant vegetation and trimming ladder fuels to improve change in the region. their school’s defensible space, and putting up signs to explain the defensible space zones. KEY RESTORATION PRINCIPLES Students also assessed their own homes’ risks, and nominated a property in • Management recommendations based on historic fire return the community to receive mitigation attention as part of May 2 National intervals and site productivity Wildfire Community Preparedness Day activities. • Reliance on a fine-grained approach for our fine-grained More about this project was in the local paper: http://www.mailtribune.com/ landscape article/20150421/NEWS/150429930/0/ • Use of both fire and mechanical harvest to achieve and main- tain ecological and economic goals

• Support for fire adapted community efforts The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire • Advocate long-term viability of critical habitats and species Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the • Highlight economic benefits and planning and implementation USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department efficiencies of restoration of the Interior. For more information, contact Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

An equal opportunity provider. v. 26 May 15 Project Alison Green (541) 322-7129 Wildfire [email protected]

COMMUNITIES Project Wildfire’s flagship program, FireFree working in Deschutes County, Oregon , experienced a surge including 7 CWPP areas—Bend, in participation in its spring 2015 event, shattering the previous East & West Deschutes County, record. Residents delivered almost 38,000 cubic yards of debris to local La Pine, Redmond, Sisters, sites in preparation for the fire season—the most debris collected in Sunriver, Upper Deschutes the 16-year history of the FireFree events. Some residents even used River Coalition bicyclesThe Citizen’s to deliver Fire debris Academy to local transfer stations. and 16 Firewise Communities http://FACNetwork.org —Aspen Lakes, Awbrey Glen, , a pilot program from the Oregon State Caldera Springs, Cascade Key Partners University Extension Service, is helping to build local capacity in Meadows Ranch, Crosswater, Bend Fire Department Deschutes County. Project Wildfire has been supporting this effort by Deschutes River Woods, Fall aiding in the planning and facilitation of the curriculum. Residents River Estates, Ponderosa Pines, Brooks Resources who are enrolled in this program can act as liaisons for their neighbor- Rimrock West, River Meadows, Brown & Brown Insurance hood or formally volunteer with local agencies. Graduates have used Spring River, Sunriver, Sunset Bureau of Land Management theMany knowledge local Firewise gained stakeholders in the academy to accomplish fuel reduction. View Estates, The Ridge at Deschutes Collaborative Forest Eagle Crest, Tollgate, Wild Project met at a Firewise Networking River Deschutes County—Board of Day. This event produced great synergy among neighborhood “spark Commissioners, Community plugs”—highly-engaged community members—that will lead to Development, Emergency improved communication between Firewise communities and those Manager, County Forester The Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy working toward this recognition. Deschutes River Woods planned and hosted Deschutes Rural Fire Protection District #2 a prescribed fire training exchange (TREX) in Deschutes County this International Association of spring. The TREX increased the conversation locally about prescribed Fire Chiefs fire and the need for forest restoration, and furthered the conversation National Fire Protection around smoke management. An outreach campaign was developed Association with collaborating partners, and was disseminated through a variety The amount of knowledge North Rim HOA of media, including TV, radio and print. Oregon Department of Forestry that the FAC Learning Network has gen- Oregon State University— erated for Deschutes County is more than Project Wildfire could have Extension Community members discuss critical wildfire hoped for. Ideas for CWPP revisions, how to document home assess- issues during a World Café sessionPhoto: at Alison the Green Ponderosa Pines Property ments, a successful networking day agenda, and other guides devel- November 2014 Firewise Networking Day. Owners Association oped by FAC partners and shared through the network have given Rimrock West HOA Project Wildfire motivation to implement similar River Meadows HOA ideas in Deschutes County. Project Wildfire is hoping Shevlin Commons to capitalize on the open communication within the Singletree Enterprises LLC network to increase awareness of fire adapted com- Sisters Fire Department munity concepts in the county. There are already Sunriver HOA some local residents working towards becoming Sunset View Estates HOA more fire adapted without being aware of it. Being The Highlands at Broken Top

able to give those efforts a name, and to support them Lack of a vehicle for hauling yard debris was not an insurmountablePhotos: Susie Maniscalco barrier The Nature Conservancy with ideas shared in the FAC Learning Network will for the motivated residents who prepared for fire season by taking part in Tollgate HOA the spring 2015 FireFree event. provide lasting benefits in Deschutes County. Upper Deschutes River Coalition Outreach Lessons from the Two Bulls Fire USDA Forest Service Western Region Cohesive Excerpts from a post on the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog—to read the whole account had 750 followers, and the blog post, go to http://facnetwork.org/fac-outreach-two-bulls-fire/ had 26,000 page views. Strategy—Chair, Committee The fire provided a teachable moment Coordinator In June 2014, the Two Bulls communications about the fire. Recognizing as well. Partners also aired a documentary Fire burned just west of Bend, the urgent need for accurate and timely and held a panel discussion to help people Oregon. The fire had a high level information due to the number of people understand wildland-urban interface fires, of interest because of the large being impacted by evacuations and smoke, wildfire risks to the community, and ways run it made on the first day that cooperating agencies came together to to reduce risks to personal property. And For more about Project Wildfire, caused many communities to be establish a Joint Information Center (JIC) so Project Wildfire issued a press release evacuated (as well as at least messages could be sent out in a coordinated visit http://www.projectwildfire.org/ shortly after the fire began, summarizing one wedding, see photo). fashion. actions people could take to protect their Because of the high interest As an important part of the communica- homes from ember intrusion and flames. Its in the fire, Deschutes County fire tions effort, staffers at the JIC took social messages were timely and to the point— officials and partners decided and web based media to a new level. They for example, it asked four questions (Are early on to be proactive in their used Facebook, a blog and Twitter to provide your gutters and roof valleys free from information about firefighting activities, debris like pine needles and leaves? Do evacuations, air quality, closures, the inves- your shrubs and weeds provide a path of tigation and more. Social media was well fuel for fire to reach your trees or home? received: within a week, the Facebook page What can catch fire on your deck or patio had more than 10,000 likes, the Twitter or near your fence? Is your woodpile near your home or other combustible vegetation?) The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is and gave concrete advice about what supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- people could do right then to help protect tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the their homes. (There is a link to this press USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department More publicity than Photo:expected: Josh A Newton, wedding via photo Facebook with release in the blog.) of the Interior. For more information, contact the wildfire in the background went viral on the Nick Goulette ([email protected]). internet.

An equal opportunity provider. v. 26 May 15 Austin Travis County Justice Jones (512) 974-0199 Wildfire Cooperative [email protected]

COMMUNITIES In September 2013 working in the City of Austin and 21 communities at risk in , before joining the FAC Learning Network, the Travis County, Texas City of Austin hosted the state’s first Fire Adapted Communities Symposium in an effort to build buy-in and consensus around the FAC concept. The workshop provided a common operating picture of how cooperatorsThe most critical could leverageaction identified the concept into action. http://FACNetwork.org was the completion of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for an area that only Key Partners recently realized that wildfire was a part of their new reality. The plan development and review process lasted almost two years as the Travis County— Austin Travis County Wildfire Coalition —a multijurisdictional task- Office of Emergency Management Transportation and Natural Resources force—worked to find common ground in a novel environment. The plan was unanimously approved by the Austin City Council and Travis City of Austin— Austin Water Utility County Commissioners Court along with the Texas A&M Forest Fire Department ServiceOn adoption in November of the plan 2014. Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management , a CWPP taskforce member from the city Planning and Development Review Department Watershed Protection Department said that they are “passionate Watershed Protection about serving the community and are excited that, together, we can Capital Area Fire Chiefs Association accomplish collaboration in a way that has never been done before.” Small Cities Alliance of Travis County Her comment also reflected how fire and water interests have aligned Texas A&M Forest Service for a common purpose, with transparency and commitment to find areas of agreement. In the end, there was much more agreement than had been imagined possible—the 940-page plan reflects a cultural shift that started with apprehension and ended with cohesion. The CWPP will be leveraged to implement a local Wildfire is everyone’s fight— cohesive strategy that connects to the FAC and that fight starts with Learning Network by sharing lessons learned Building on this monumental effort understanding your role. and embracing innovations. , the City

of Austin’s Fire Department has several other circled Homes Lost to Wildfires, 2005-2011: key FAC goals: Travis County ( ) lost 97 homes to wildfire over this time period. Its • Leverage the CWPP taskforce into a permanent standing wildfire neighbor to the southeast, Bastrop County, lost 1,726 homes. The 2011 cooperative, whose focus will be implementing the Cohesive wildfire season was particularlysee graph de- structive in Texas, with 2,956 homes Strategy at the local level using the newly adopted CWPP as the lost across the state ( ). springboard. • Engage the public by effecting a cultural shift from feeling at risk Highlight: Austin-Boise Learning Exchange to becoming empowered to act. During the CWPP recognition Excerpts from a post on the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog—to read the whole post, go to http://facnetwork.org/fire-departments-conduct-fac-exchange/ ceremony and subsequent workshop, the overarching theme was Austin Fire Department Wildfire enhancement of fire department response, an interest from communities at risk across Travis county to Mitigation Program Manager Justice Jones evacuation planning, threatened and recognize their role in wildfire preparedness. Austin Fire Depart- first met Captain Jerry McAdams of the endangered species issues, invasive plants Boise Fire Department at the 2013 NFPA and how mitigation efforts can enhance ment hopes to accomplish a cultural shift by sharing with others Backyards and Beyond Conference. Then the effectiveness of first responders. what we have learned: that wildfire is everyone’s fight—and that at the 2014 FAC Learning Network work- Time and time again conversations Futurefight FAC starts efforts with understanding your role. shop they discovered that large munici- turned to collaboration and the need to palities from different geographies can break down barriers within fire depart- will include the integration of WUI considerations face similar WUI challenges. So it was ments, across city departments, and at that workshop that they hatched the among outside stakeholder organizations. into land management planning, development of a local prescribed idea of conducting some on-site learning Fire department wildfire mitigation staff fire network that includes organizations with prescribed burning exchanges to enhance both departments’ have a unique opportunity to bring home- programs, and to generate some best responsibilities to ensure coordination across the county, pre-incident owners, large land managers and other practices and lessons learned that could stakeholders together to help them planning for both communities and natural areas, and the develop- help other municipal fire departments. coordinate efforts. mentBeing of a apart functional of the FACevacuation Learning model. Network The first exchange took place in February 2015, in Texas. They visited and discussed Lessons from this exchange were is facilitating bench- fuels treatments, including an area where collected in a video (see box below), and prescribed fire is regularly used for both in a “FAC Notes from the Field” available marking with other communities at risk, increasing exposure to novel ecosystem restoration and community pro- at http://www.conservationgateway.org/ research and subject matter experts, and providing a better under- tection, and toured a Firewise neighbor- ConservationPractices/FireLandscapes/ hood. Discussion topics included Ready, fac/facnet/Pages/FACNotes-Austin-Boise- standing of the power of collaboration. The Austin Fire Department Set, Go! outreach and preparedness, Feb2015.aspx hopes to learn from the successes and challenges that other communities have experienced, and to develop a model for wildfire preparedness that other large municipalities and counties can use to The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is rapidly implement a local cohesive strategy. The Fire Adapted Communities video filmed supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- Screen captures from the video “Fire Adapted Communities Fire during the Austin-Boise exchange is at tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the Department Learning Exchange” http://facnetwork.org/ USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior. For more information, contact new-fac-learning-network-video/ Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

An equal opportunity provider. v. 20 May 15 Chumstick Wildfire Annie Schmidt (509) 630-2836 Stewardship Coalition [email protected]

COMMUNITIES No summer has illustrated working in Leavenworth, the need for resilient and prepared commu- Plain and Yakima, nities better than 2014. Throughout the state of Washington, more resi- Washington dents were on some level of evacuation notice than at any other time in the past 20 years. More structures—over 320 homes—were lost than in any previous Washington wildfire. Many people did not know what to do in the event of an evacuation or how to prepare their homes for wildfire. Businesses in eastern Washington were heavily impacted by highway closures. These events confirmed the need to develop evacuation and Key Partners pre-attack plans to prepare our community for future wildfire incidents. American Red Cross—Apple Leavenworth Chamber of CWSC will be working with local and Fire Learning Network partners to Valley Chapter Commerce National Weather In response to the 2014 fires develop these plans. Bavarian Village Business Service , CWSC took action by creating Association South Central Washington an “After the Fire Toolkit.” This toolkit enables information on Cascade School District Resource & Conservation District post-fire impacts to be disseminated during an incident, rather Cascadia Conservation District than later when the “teachable moment” afforded by the fire has Central Washington Interagency USDA Forest Service—Okanogan- closed. A National Weather Service representative distributed Communication Center Wenatchee National Forest the trifold brochure from the toolkit at the first public meeting Chelan County Fire District 3 Washington State Department of Natural Resources during the Mills Canyon fire. The willingness of the Washington Incident Chelan County—Department of Management Team to create space for this important messaging was Emergency Management, Washington State University— critical to its successful distribution. Post-fire impacts were highlighted Public Utility District, Public Extension Forestry in news releases from the incident, and the incident management team Works, Sherriff Wenatchee Valley Humane Society used parts of the social media element of the tool. In addition, “After the By participating in the FAC Learning Network City of Leavenworth and local residents & landowners Fire” door hangers were given to the local fire district for distribution. , our communities and organizations have the ability to join forces, link resources and learn from the experiences of our network partners—all invaluable opportu- nities. We believe that mutual learning is critical to healthy collabora- tion and we strive to incorporate a strong learning component into all of our activities. As communities begin to adapt and respond to fire—and by changing the way we view fire—we have a chance to share lessons learned with communities across the nation. Lessons learned by others across the country benefit our programs, organizational capacity and constituency;In 2015 we are our working own lessons shared broaden the impact of the CWSC beyond the Chumstick. to: • Enhance community resiliency through a series of wildfire pre- paredness workshops and meet- ings with a wide array of local and regional stakeholders; • Collaborate with stakeholders during on-the-ground fuel reduction and forest restoration work; and Treatment demonstration projects to prepare for wildfires and a toolkit of resources to mitigate wild- • Coordinate biomass utilization fire after-effects are among the projectsPhoto: Andrew helping Holm make north-central Washington more resilient to projects and regional wildfire wildfire. education. More Information Community Preparedness: #make a kit monday Excerpts from a post on the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog—to read the whole post, go to For more about the Chumstick http://facnetwork.org/makeakitmonday-facilitating-emergency-preparedness/ Wildfire Stewardship Coalition, see http://www.chumstickcoalition.org/ We all know we need a “go kit” and yet few of us have them! Prior to this Emergency preparedness can be overwhelming. To download & use the After the Fire exercise, I will admit that I didn’t. So the toolkit, go to http://afterthefirewa.org/ Chumstick Wildfire Stewardship Coalition The goal of #makeakitmonday was to break down the has been assembling a “go bag.” Dubbing process into concrete and manageable steps. For more from the Fire Adapted it #makeakitmonday, each Monday we focus on a new component and add it to pictures (not stock photographs) and a more Residents of this area will be able to pick up Communities Learning Network, our bag. Those following along at home thorough discussion of the items in question. their own “go bag,” provided they agree visit http://FACNetwork.org via social media are (hopefully) doing the Our posts fall short of reviews and we have to fill it, and then receive small kit com- same. The order of the kit components tried to avoid making recommendations— ponents at Wildfire Preparedness events. was, in part, designed to spread out the different items will work for different families Next year, we would like to see more local cost of kit assembly over a number of and individuals, and we are certainly not the organizations participating (e.g., have the weeks. experts on flashlights or radios! That said, the hospital talk about first aid kits, the So, what has worked? The best level of engagement has been best when the Humane Society talk about pet prepared- The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is responses (according to our Facebook posts have been real people, talking about ness, etc.) in order to take advantage real items. supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire Insights) have been the posts about bags of the expertise in the community. It Adapted Communities Together (PERFACT), a coopera- (and the #makeakitmonday concept), #makeakitmonday is also incorporated into would also be fun to see more communi- tive agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the flashlights and radios. Common to all our National Community Preparedness Day ties participating—Firewise of Southwest USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior. For more information, contact of the best performing posts were real project, funded through NFPA and State Farm. Colorado has been a great partner. Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

An equal opportunity provider. v. 18 May 15 Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network Nick Goulette (530) 628-4206 Skills & Expertise Matrix [email protected]

Skills and areas of expertise of the 17 organizations that are leading local and regional efforts of the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network.

Key: S = stable E = expanding N = new * = special expertise Austin Fire Department Fire Austin Boise Department Fire Council Safe CA Fire Chestatee/Chattahoochee RC&D Council Stewardship Chumstick Wildfire Coalition the Upper South Coalition for Platte Partners Dovetail Council of Southwest FireWise Colorado Service Florida Forest Guild The Forest Forest Flagstaff Greater Partnership Sustainable Fire Park Island Community Tribe Karuk Soil County Mercer District Conservation Wildfire Project Forest Southern Oregon Collaborative Restoration & Fuels Team Fire Tahoe WILDFIRE HAZARD AND RESPONSE WUI training for fire departments E E S E E S S E S S wildfire evacution plan N N N N S S N S E S N S community preplanning and use of ICS N E E E N S* S S E E N S* local area incident management team E E N E E S S E E E cross-trained local crews N E E N E E E S E E E S mutual aid agreements S E S E E S S S E* S S S

COMMUNITY VALUES AT RISK (Non-Residential) risk mapping N N N S E S S S* S E E S E S watershed management N S S E S S* N S E S S S community assessments E N E E E S N E E S S N E S E S E RESIDENTIAL VALUES AT RISK home ignition zone assessments & apps E* N E E E S N E E S* S S E S S engagement with HOAs S S E S S N S* E S S E E E N S PLANS AND REGULATIONS CWPPs N E S S E S S* S* S S S S E* S S E hazard mitigation action plan S E S S E S S S N S N S S S CCRs, codes, ordinances E E S S* E E N S comp plans/ other plans E N S E S E S S S MITIGATION & RISK REDUCTION Ready, Set, Go! E E E S N/E E E E N N Firewise S S S* E S* S E S E N S E S E E N Fire Safe Councils S* S* N S S E N chipping program S E S E S* S S S S awareness day/ week N N E E N S N S* E E S N S S S S trainings E E S S N S E S S S* S N E E E S prescribed fire & smoke E E E S/E E S S E N E N S* other fuel management N S S E S/E E S S N E S* S N S* RESOURCES local WUI tax or fee N* N S vegetation disposal E S E N E N S S S* S grant & funding directory S* S S* N S N S S dedicated FAC staff S S E E E N E S S S PUBLIC OUTREACH AND INPUT FAC regional workshops E N E S E E E E E N N S S E N community / public meetings N E E E E S E S S S S S E S E E public demos / learning sites E E S S N S E S N E E E S S FAC brochures N E E N N N N N N S E N E* PSAs, videos N N S N E N E E FAC website / blog N N E E N N S N N N S E N social media E E E E E E S S S E N E S E N E outreach plan N N N N/E E E E S E N volunteer groups, citizen coalition N N E E N/E S* N E S E E* N PARTNERS FAC LN self-assessment tool N N N E N N N N N N N N E N FAC steering committee E E E S N N N S N partner learning exchanges E N E E N/E N N N E S state partnerships E E S S S S N E S S E N E S S regional partnerships N E S S N/E E E S S E E E S S E* national partnerships N E S S S N/E E E E E S S

The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network is supported by Promoting Ecosystem Resilience and Fire Adapted Communities Together http://FACNetwork.org (PERFACT), a cooperative agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the USDA Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior. For more information, contact Nick Goulette ([email protected]).

An equal opportunity provider. v. 27 May 15