Mendocino County Fire Safe Council

05/30/2026

A community burn next weekend in Round Valley. Contact and registration information are included should you want to join the prescribed burning community.

05/29/2026

Prescribed Burn Association members from both Mendocino and Humboldt Counties (MCPBA and HCPBA) attended a training on a recent Saturday in Laytonville. Participating and helping lead sessions were Emily Lord and Maria Esser from MCFSC, and our board member Mike Jones, also founding member and chair of MCPBA.

HCPBA Co-Coordinator Henri Holbrook says, “This Firelighter training is part of the PBA ethic of neighbor-helping-neighbor, and a way to train up community members who don’t want to be professional firefighters on how to feel safe and effective when engaging with prescribed burning.”

Content shared by the Humboldt PBA will help us expand the training available in Mendocino County, and vice-versa.

Read or listen to a podcast by Sarah Reith about this training: https://www.firesafemendocino.org/the-latest/humco-pba-comes-to-laytonville?mc_cid=c20f5d31b5&mc_eid=7f1cd24638

05/26/2026

The California Conservation Corps (CCC) crew is back to work in Brooktrails, NW of Willits, and their impact is already being felt. These young workers continue to show what steady, hands‑on teamwork can accomplish to protect our communities from wildfire.

The CCC crew has been clearing hazardous vegetation on undeveloped lots, as well as defensible space near residences. Their dedication, energy, and willingness to take on tough terrain make a real difference for residents who rely on these projects for safety and peace of mind.

Partnerships like this between local communities, Fire Safe Councils, and the CCC improve wildfire resilience, strengthen communities, and will reduce fire risk in the dry season ahead. We’re grateful to have the CCCs back in action, and look forward to helping make Brooktrails a safer place.

05/23/2026

We’re proud to announce the recipients of our 2026 Micro-Grant Program – local leaders and neighbors stepping up to strengthen wildfire preparedness and community resilience across the county.

This year, our Micro-Grant totals went well over the half-million-dollar mark! We have funded 47 NFSC/Firewise Community projects and 30 fire agency projects totaling $556,500 in Micro-Grants awarded since we started them in 2022.

This year, a total of $122,500 will support 7 fire agencies, 6 Neighborhood Fire Safe Councils, and 1 Firewise Community in critical, community-driven projects, with grants ranging from $2,000 to $12,500 and often leveraging significant in-kind contributions of volunteer labor and donated materials to multiply the impact of every dollar.

This program is made possible through MCFSC funding, along with a generous $40,000 contribution from the Mendocino County Fire Chiefs Association.

See the full list of 2026 Micro-Grant awardees and projects: https://www.firesafemendocino.org/microgrant-archive/2026-micro-grant?mc_cid=c20f5d31b5&mc_eid=7f1cd24638

05/22/2026

Resilient Landscaping: Gardening in the Defensible Space Zone Four-Part Series
Tuesdays, June 9th, 16th, 23rd, & 30th, from 5:30-6:30pm

Join for FREE on Zoom. Hosted by the Resilient Landscaping Coalition in Sonoma County.

Learn how to create and maintain a Firewise, sustainable garden that supports biodiversity while meeting County and evolving State requirements. They’ll help you navigate the new and updated California Zone 0 guidelines, including considerations for trees, existing landscapes, plant placement, and maintenance, to preserve and even enhance wildlife habitat, while keeping your property and neighborhood Firewise and sustainable.

This four-part, one-hour per week, workshop series will allow plenty of time for questions and will provide:

• Recommendations for firewise landscaping in the 0-5’, 5-30’, and 30-100’ defensible space zones, including draft guidelines for the new State of California Zone 0 legislation, with specific plant and design suggestions.
• Practical ways to reconcile the sometimes conflicting guidelines, to achieve a beautiful, biodiverse, energy-saving, and water- and firewise landscape.
• A practical understanding of what it means to be sustainable in an ever-changing California climate.
• Resources for how to move forward with your landscape and community.

Workshop creators and presenters include:

Caitlin Cornwall: Senior Project Manager, Sonoma Ecology Center

Mimi Enright: Program Manager, UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County and Co-Founder of the Resilient Landscapes Coalition

April Owens: Owner Pollinate Collective by April Owens Design, LLC Executive Director, Habitat Corridor Project; Board Secretary California Native Plant Society and Co-Founder of the Resilient Landscapes Coalition

Jennifer Roberts: Community Education Specialist & Landscape Designer, UCCE Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County & Pollinate Collective Landscape Design

Workshop schedule:

June 9th: Framework of Sustainability for Defensible Space and Beyond
June 16th: Defensible Space Zones and Code Requirements
June 23rd: Firewise Design in the Defensible Space Zone
June 30th: Maintenance in the Defensible Space Zone

You may sign up for all four parts or just one.

All workshops available in both English and Spanish, please choose your preference upon registering.

Zoom registration link:

Four Tuesdays, June 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th, 5:30-6:30pm Learn how to create and maintain a fire-wise, sustainable garden that supports biodiversity while meeting County code requirements. We will discuss plant selection, placement, and maintenance, that preserves and even enhances wildlife habita...

05/19/2026

We’ve long been concerned about the relative lack of resources and education for wildfire resilience in dense-housing situations such as mobile-home parks.

Mobile homes represent 3.6% of California’s housing, but a highly disproportionate 22% of homes lost to wildfire. 46% of them are also located in high to extreme fire-severity zones, and 47% of their residents are low-income.

We have, as time and resources allowed, slowly started to tackle this issue – and now we have some resources! The North Coast Resource Partnership recently awarded us a $50,000 grant for this project, so that we can begin developing specialized guidelines and other assistance to make mobile-home parks and other dense-housing situations safer places to live.

Thank you, NCRP!

05/15/2026

The Redwood Complex Fire in October 2017 was one of Mendocino County’s most dramatic and destructive wildfires, forcing rushed midnight evacuations, killing 9 people, and destroying hundreds of homes and other buildings.

Our free Community Work Party Program recently helped the Tomki Neighborhood Fire Safe Council clear brush alongside Tomki Road, which despite its rough condition was one of the main escape routes that saved dozens of lives. They also took advantage of our free Home Assessment and Micro-Grant programs to make their homes more fire-safe.

Read more or listen to Sarah Reith's podcast here: https://www.firesafemendocino.org/the-latest/neighbors-remember-2017-fires-as-they-clear-fuel-from-tomki-road?mc_cid=c20f5d31b5&mc_eid=7f1cd24638

05/11/2026

Workshop: Tending the Land: Fire, Stewardship, and Restoration at Indian Creek in Philo

Saturday, May 16 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Location: Scharffenberger Cellars, Indian Creek

Join for a hands-on workshop exploring fire in all its dimensions, from traditional ecological knowledge to modern land management strategies

Learning will happen through hands-on activities. Together, you'll light burn piles and fire biochar kilns as you talk about how to restore and protect our natural world through fire.

Workshop led by Hybrid Indigenous Stewardship, Biochar Coalition, Mendocino County Resource Conservation District, Anderson Valley Land Trust.

Free to attend | Space is limited | Registration required
https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/ert5IXhCTliu5Ba1OaGaKA

05/06/2026

The Western Hills Firewise Community is putting on an educational workshop on Mediterranean Oak Borer June 11th at the Ukiah Civic Center. Mark your calendars!

04/30/2026

The 40th annual Mendocino County Science and Engineering Fair and STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts & Math) Expo celebrated science, technology and creativity – and we were there!

Our table featured “burn boards” where kids of all ages learned about fire behavior by building mini-forests from matches and cotton. Staff then safely ignited the boards for a dramatic demonstration of the various factors – noting that fuel loads are the only factor we can change to make our homes and properties safer.

(This demonstration is also part of our Education Program for middle-school students, a collaboration with UC’s Hopland Extension & Research Center.)

We also shared wildfire-preparedness resources such as preparing your home for wildfire, the danger of wildfire smoke, and developing water supplies for fire protection – all available at our Knowledge Center, linked below.
https://mendovoice.com/2026/03/mendocino-county-science-and-engineering-fair-returns-to-ukiah/?mc_cid=619db11b4e&mc_eid=UNIQID