Tuesday, July 23,  2-4 pm

Invite link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83466050033?pwd=w3YtahFFaw9qXPYJYriKLl7AnPN8m0.1 

ESP, Fire Foundry "Frontiers of Fire" course: report on completion  of second year of training.  

Those presenting: Josh Dimon and Fire Foundry staff, recruits and ESP presenters. This year we had a total of 35 different speakers from various fields, around ~20 recruits in each session, and 14 individual sessions. 

Following the meeting, we are hosting a celebration in appreciation of all who have made this possible at Belle Cole's home, 38 Oakdale Ave.,San Rafael, 94901 starting at 4:30 pm. We especially want to thank Louis Chow who staffed the complex 2024 effort and will be leaving us. You are all invited. 

Best wishes,

Belle and Core Team

415-847-8479

415-482-6627 (cell)

 https://www.espmarin.org

Wednesday, July 10, from noon to 1:30 pm
Professor Daniel Swain, UCLA, presenting, along with Mark Brown, on Wildfires and Climate Change

Dear Friends: 

We are delighted to remind you of this exciting and timely event.  A few tips: doors open at noon, event begins at 12:15 pm. Parking is available in parking lot at 1600 Los Gamos Drive. Please register asap. 

Dr. Daniel Swain, UCLA, is presenting, along with Mark Brown, on Wildfires and Climate Change in Northern California. Dr. Swain will be here in person.  The meeting is taking place in MWPA chambers, 1600 Los Gamos Dr., suite 335, San Rafael. CA 94903. The meeting will also be broadcast via Zoom.

Daniel (popularly known as "Weather West") currently holds joint appointments as a climate scientist within UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and a research fellow in the Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. You can find him on Twitter/X, YouTube, and the Weather West blog.

Registration required (for both in-person and virtual attendance):

LINK TO REGISTER

RECAP OF MAY 14 MEETING

Forest Health Restoration Best Practices Workshop 

The Workshop addressed current conditions of Marin Forest lands and discussed best management practices available to restore health and resilience of our forest systems. We include here video of meeting, attachments including new document on the ESP Partnership). 

 video2043377172.mp4

The Panel was moderated by Bruce Goines..
Panel members were::

Danny Franco, Sr. Project Manager, One Tam/Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy “ Key findings from the Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy: summarizing the impact of fire exclusion, pathogens, and climate change on forest resilience across Marin County”.  

Anne Crealock, MWPA Planning And Program Manager “Wildfire Prevention practices currently being employed by Marin's Joint Powers Authority to protect the built environment and reduce risks of catastrophic wildfire in Marin's Wildland Urban Interface. 

Dr. Malcolm North, PSW Research, UC Davis “Best available science-based practices to reduce the risk of catastrophic fires and restore forest health”

Tori Norville, UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Fire Science Advisor servingSonoma, Napa and Marin Counties. “Going beyond the WUI – How Forest Management Practices and Disturbance Ecology Interact”

Best wishes,

Belle and Core Team

415-847-8479

415-482-6627 (cell)

 https://www.espmarin.org

Tuesday, May 14, 1-3 pm

Forest Health Restoration Best Practices Workshop 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83307674511?pwd=T1gzM2l3b3pyWFlHZ2U2MUJkbUFIZz09 

Workshop addresses current conditions of Marin Forest lands and discussion on best management practices available to restore health and resilience of our forest systems. 

Panel: Danny Franco, Bruce Goines, Dr. Malcolm North, Tori Norvelle. 

Danny Franco, Sr. Project Manager, One Tam/Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy “ Key findings from the Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy: summarizing the impact of fire exclusion, pathogens, and climate change on forest resilience across Marin County”.  1:10-1:30 pm.

Bruce Goines, MWPA Representative MWPA  Dir “Wildfire Prevention practices currently being employed by Marin's Joint Powers Authority to protect the built environment and reduce risks of catastrophic wildfire in Marin's Wildland Urban Interface. 1:30- 1:45 p:m.   

 Dr. Malcolm North, PSW Research, UC Davis “Best available science-based practices to reduce the risk of catastrophic fires and restore forest health”, 1:45- 2:15 pm

Tori Norvelle,  UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Fire Science Advisor serving Sonoma, Napa and Marin Counties. “Going beyond the WUI – How Forest Management Practices and Disturbance Ecology Interact”, 2:15- 2:45 pm.

 Panel Discussion: 2:45 to 3 pm.

ESP Partnership,meeting Tuesday, April 9 from 2-4 pm. 

Zoom invite: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81319088841?pwd=RW9LWk5rZmhlamV1dHZyMWRxb1ZVUT09

We are pleased to announce two presentations.

Jacob Dadmun, Vegetation Management Specialist, MWPA will highlight major takeaways for land managers from the MWPA's recently published white paper on shaded fuel breaks..The white paper examines existing scientific literature on the efficacy and ecological benefits of shaded fuel breaks

 Andrew Ludwig, Vegetation Program Manager•PG&Ewill talk about PG&E vegetation management practices. 

AGENDA

ESP Partnership Meeting, March 12, 2024

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85474421063?pwd=aC84cEpPMjlQbFJUT0pUblVwMWVndz09 

1. Welcome and Introductions, 10 minutes

2. ESP Overview , including future events,  5-10 minutes 

3. Report from Anne Crealock on MWPA developments, 5-10 minutes

4. Presentation including Q&A, beginning at 2:30 pm for an hour plus

 Mark Brown will present on "What made Maui fire so destructive and burning of Canada's northwest boreal forests”. 

Mark will discuss:

• how climate change has impacted fires globally

• how climate change has changed the wildfire environment within boreal forests throughout the world 

• impacts climate change may have had during the Lahaina and other factors that had more of an influence in Lahaina  

• how this helps to inform our work towards becoming fire adapted in Marin County.

Brief Background on speaker, Mark Brown
Mark is the Executive Officer, Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority. 

He started his career as a volunteer firefighter in 1986 in Sonoma County. He was hired by the Marin County Fire Department as a Firefighter/Paramedic in 1991 and retired as the Deputy Fire Chief after serving for nearly 30 years. Mark retired in order to assume the position as Executive Officer of MWPA, a joint powers agency charged with increasing the safety of Marin’s residents. through vegetation management projects, evacuation route clearing, evacuation system improvements, public education and defensible space evaluations.

Mark served on a CAL FIRE Incident Management Team for 15 years as a Type I Operations Section Chief and was qualified as a Type II Incident Commander. Chief Brown was a founding member of the North Bay Incident Management Team, a Type III All-Hazards IMT in the San Francisco Bay Area and was the Program Manager and one of the Incident Commanders.

ESP Partnership Meeting, December 12, 2023

The ESP Partnership meeting on Tuesday, December 12, 2023 is from 2-4 pm and is virtual. We are pleased that Dr. Charlotte Jourdain, MWPA consultant, will present and lead a discussion on the MWPA Evacuation/Ingress/Egress Risk Assessment project with Tami Lavezzo at Sonoma Technology, the firm that created the modeling behind the Evacuation Risk Assessment. 

Zoomlink:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83304105666?pwd=bVVQMVkzRGZlaExjWVE4QWFXUUw5dz09 

RSVP: Please RSVP to this email- espwildires@gmail.com

Abstract:

California has experienced a growing number of wildfires that have overwhelmed community preparedness and evacuation plans. The Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) has undertaken a study to better understand and address wildfire evacuation route risks in Marin County. These risks include the lack of vehicle access, public notification failures, heavy traffic burdens, and low risk perception. As part of this effort, Sonoma Technology’s project team performed the Marin County Evacuation Risk Assessment Study, which included:

(1) conducting a literature review to understand the causes of civilian fatalities during evacuations;

(2) a review of available risk factor data for the county;

(3) dynamic modeling of fire progression, communications, and traffic flow for five county test areas across multiple timeline scenarios; and

(4) a current conditions assessment of evacuation difficulties across the county related to fire and fuels, communications platforms, human-decision making, and traffic flow.

The Study produced geographic information system (GIS)-based datasets and maps of aggregated evacuation difficulty scores for Marin County, which identify potential areas of high risk during evaluations. The results are also being used to develop a Mitigation Toolkit that considers different types of mitigation actions, including improved project planning, policy changes, and investment in capital projects. 

ESP Meeting Agenda, November 14, 2023
2-4 pm, by zoom

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83304105666?pwd=bVVQMVkzRGZlaExjWVE4WFXUUw5dz09 

I.             Welcome and Introduction- 2:00--2:10 pm

II.            ESP Overview- 2:10 pm to -2:15 pm

III.           Presentation followed by Q&A- The Handbook for Ecologically Informed Vegetation
Management in Sonoma County, 2:15 to 3:15 pm (see below)

IV.          Report from MWPA, Jordan Reeser, MCF -3:15- 3:30 pm

V.          Next Meeting, December 12, 2023, 2-4 pm, Charlotte Jourdain and Tami Lavesso- MWPA Evacuation/Ingress/Egress Risk Assessment project

 The Handbook for Ecologically Informed Vegetation Management in Sonoma County (Handbook) project will be presented by Eric Schoohs and Caitlin Cornwall from the Sonoma Ecology Center (SEC). The Handbook distills guidance from a range of disciplines to help residents, landowners, and professional land managers define and achieve their land management goals. Their work complements our Ecologically Sound Practices in effect since June, 2022. It is slated for publication early 2024.

Eric Schoohs, is the lead Project manager for the Handbook. He is a Land Management Planner and Vegetation Management Specialist at the Sonoma Ecology Center. Eric has trained and led crews in ecologically informed stewardship all over the west coast (including throughout Marin County), designed and managed ecological restoration projects, and is a naturalist guide. He has a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies from University of Wisconsin, and first became involved in conservation through AmeriCorps.

Caitlin Cornwall, MS, is a Senior Project Manager at the Sonoma Ecology center. Caitlin is a biologist who leads planning and partnerships and advises on technical projects for SEC where she has worked since 1998. She is the project director for Sonoma Valley Collaborative, a cross-sector coalition addressing challenges to Sonoma Valley’s people, economy, and environment, such as housing affordability. A Sonoma County native, she is the lead author of the Biodiversity Action Plan for Sonoma County, the Climate Resilience Roadmap for Sonoma County, and Homes for a Sustainable Sonoma Valley.

Her areas of expertise are land use ecology, watershed health indicators, communicating with nontechnical audiences, and building diverse, successful partnerships. After the 2017 North Bay fires, she led hundreds of people on “fire recovery walks” in burned areas. Caitlin has a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in botany, and lives in Sonoma.

Agenda

ESP meeting, October 10, 2023

2-4 pm, by zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83304105666?pwd=bVVQMVkzRGZlaExjWVE4QWFXUUw5dz09  

I.               Welcome and Introductions                      

II.             ESP Overview

III.           Reports from Mark Brown and Anne Crealock

IV.           Presentation 1 hour beginning at 2:30 pm

 Frontiers of Fire survey course: managing wildfires with Ecologically Sound Practices – a summary and critique. 

Josh Dimon, a scientist with the U.C. Berkeley Disaster Lab who helped design FIRE Foundry, will lead a Panel of key participants to tell the story of how members of ESP rallied around request from him to adapt the Ecologically Sound Practices to a curriculum for Fire Foundry recruits.

• How It Happened and Who Was Involved

• Mission: Prepare recruits for sustainable wage careers in fire management and build skills in ESP and best available technologies into core of future fire service

• Units offered

:           Technological Innovation in Fire Management:          

            How We Get Here and Where We Are Going

            Living on the Edge: ESP, the WUI, Shaded Fuel Breaks, and DSpace:        

            Adaptations to Living with Fire

 Building the Best: expanded wage careers

Ø Future

Ø Discussion

V.            Future meetings- Next meeting November 14

ESP Advisory Group AGENDA

September 6, 2023, 2:00 pm

Zoom invite:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81519411321?pwd=YVIyWndqL1dHaUtTWXpwOW5yTnpDUT09

I.               2023/24 ATC meetings: corresponding dates for Advisory Group (decide whether Mondays or Tuesdays are preferable). The role of the ATC is to develop the Core, Defensible Space Evaluation/Mitigation, and Local Wildfire Mitigation proposals for inclusion in the FY 2023-2024 Work Plan.

II.             Future events

·      October 10, 2023: Frontiers of Fire Summary, workforce options, what’s next (Josh Dimon (UC Berkeley, Fire Foundry manager)

·      November 14, 2023: Biodiversity, Bonnie Morse (planning in process)

·      December 12, 2023: open 

             Suggestions: so far:

·       What made Maui Fire So Destructive- Marin relevance  (Mark Brown, Daniel Swain, UCLA)

·      How climate change risks from flooding, drought, extreme heat, species loss impact MWPA vegetation planning

III.            Other ESP initiatives reflecting environmental and climate perspectives

·      Follow  MWPA  as it engages in Strategic Planning (See Charlotte Jourdain on staff report “Measures of Success”)

https://marinwildfire.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=marinwildfire_2b4ea0fd318bea8c2268571a561647c2.pdf&view=1

·      Work with Anne Crealock in her longer term planning as she seeks additional staff and identifies resources

·      What are ESP questions and suggestions

·       

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/2/#search/Anne+Crealock+%2F2023%2F24+Work+Plan/FMfcgzGtwMfcZrCWJCzsRcJjrmlNZCJB?projector=1&messagePartId=0.1

Agenda- July 11, 2023

Ecologically Sound Practices Partnership (ESP), 2-4 pm

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83207299518?pwd=WnMLrFIX2Hma1nisN5ly8NMK6IsLUw.1  

Welcome and ESP Update- Belle, 10 minutes

MWPA Summer Overview- Mark Brown, 5 minutes

Speaker: Chance Cutrano Director of Programs, Resource Renewal Institute. Chance will present his innovative research and practices in rice cultivation in California and beyond, and explain how these lessons and tools can inform climate adaptation, fire prevention and biodiversity restoration strategies closer to home. 1 hour with 20 minutes for Q&A.

Chance, an ESP member, is an award-winning Bay Area environmentalist whose work centers around large landscape conservation, from the preservation of wildlife in National Parks to the restoration of biodiversity on working lands.

In 2021, Chance was awarded the inaugural "Champion of Promise" award in Food Sustainability from the Silicon Valley non-profit, Acterra, for his development of RRI's Fish in the Fields program in California’s rice growing region.

 Chance is Mayor of Fairfax and Chair of Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.

 Next Meeting: August 8; What Master Gardeners Are Up To
(Jim Kasper, Sophia Porter and Bob Mauceli)

MWPA and ESP Partnership are co-hosting a guest speaker, Brandon Collins, Lead Scientist with Berkeley Forests and Associate Adjunct Professor with UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. Dr. Collins will discuss lessons learned in the Sierra with regard to California spotted owl habitat, forest management, and recent wildfires. Join us to learn, raise questions and share your expertise.  

Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88421898170?pwd=bDgzUmpDOXVMWFJwVUJIT2tMK2h2Zz09 

Shortcut zoom link: bit.ly/owlsinthe sierra 

Agenda- June 9, 2023

Ecologically Sound Practices Partnership (ESP)

UPDATES

ESP Update- Belle- (10 minutes)

MWPA May submission to Board- Mark Brown, Anne Crealock (10 mnutes)

Greater Novato Shaded Fuel Break- Mike Swezy (Summary) (5 Minutes)

SPEAKER

William Carney, Secretary, MarinCAN,  ESP Core member, Marin Biomass Steering Committee member, President Sustainable San Rafael. Marin county climate change leader, scholar, researcher, strategist and advocate. (30 minutes plus 10 minutes, Q&A)

MarinCAN tackling climate change in Marin county- reducing greenhouse emissions 60% by 2030 and below net zero emissions by 2045.  through sequestration in trees & soil, Ecologically Sound Practices, climate preparedness, MBP, earth friendly gardening, carbon farming, wildfire prevention practices, equity incentives, Solutions.

EMBER STOMP

What we need to know about Ember Stomp- Jennifer Gauner, Fire Safe Marin (10-15 minutes)

ESP organizing Ember Stomp for May 20 (10 minutes)

June 13 meeting- MWPA Webinar

Dear Friends: 

We are cancelling the April 11 meeting of the ESP Partnership. Instead, we will be holding a site visit April 26, 11:00a - 1:00p to view MWPA Wildfire Prevention efforts on the Marn City Fuel Reduction Project. The visit is hosted by MWPA, Marin County Fire & Ecologically Sound Practices Partnership. Details to follow…

Another exciting ESP project in April is preparing for three sessions of the Frontiers of Fire survey course "Managing Wildfires with Ecologically Sound Practices" to be taught to FIRE Foundry recruits at Indian Valley College.  We will provide information and photos of these sessions on our website. Our work continues in preparing for Frontiers of Fire units during May and the summer. If you are interested in getting involved, let us know. 

We will be back to you soon.

Belle and ESP Core team

*2:00pm, March 14 UPDATE

Belle will begin the meeting shortly. Please use this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89693104485?pwd=Zis1TXNiWGt1Y2NwbysweDRzTHhCZz09

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89218190777?pwd=sbJWmTSRsrhA8pA6RVrbk70l2MJDQR.1

ESP MATTERS 2:00-:-2:10

1.    Welcome and Introductions: Belle Cole

2.    MWPA update: Mark Brown and Anne Crealock

PRESENTATION 2:15- 3:45 pm 

Biodiversity and Demonstration Gardens

Bonnie Morse, a pollinator and plant specialist, has organized a panel on biodiversity to show: 1) why we are falling woefully short of the need to protect biodiversity and 2) what projects locally we are doing to change that.  We look forward to active participation- many of you have expertise on native plants, insects, defensible space and biodiversity challenges. 

Biodiversity loss and potential solutions

2:20pm Dr. Douglas Tallamy- University of Delaware, author of:
Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard

2:35pm Christopher Cosma-  PhD student at UCR, focuses on the ecology of plant-insect interactions and the effects of climate change. To combat insect decline, he has created a web application for butterfly and moth conservation in California called The Butterfly Net.

 Local Demonstration Gardens

(Approx. 10 minutes each, discuss design, purpose, what stage project is at currently, future goals)

2:55pm: April Owens-  Station 63, San Marin, Novato

3:05pm: Denise Lucy & Bonnie Morse -  Daniel Stralka Memorial Pollinator Habitat Garden, Dominican University, San Rafael

3:15pm: Dana Swisher – Neil Cummins Elementary and park, Corte Madera

3:25pm: Simon Wright- B Street Fire Adapted Demonstration Garden, San Rafael

3:35pm: Q&A

We recommend  Making Peace With Nature  as a resource for considering the three intertwined crises of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution.

https://www.unep.org › resources › making-peace-nature 

Weather-delayed from January, we are fortunate to have two presentations this month.

1.  Update on the ESP FIRE Foundry Course: Frontiers of Fire (9 units)

The course, prepared  by Josh Dimon (FIRE Foundry) and ESP team members  (Belle Cole, Meg McCabe, Tanya Baxter, Sophia Porter, and Paul da Silva} enables students to explore the connection between a healthy ecosystem and wildfire management through an understanding of the principles of the Ecological Sound Practices including their application to wildfire mitigation practices. 

We will present the course outline and seek your participation for this coming Spring and Summer sessions.

 2.  Raising awareness about Urban Forests: Creating a healthy, safe and climate responsive urban forest 

You will learn about planting trees: right species, right place, for the right reasons.  Our presenters are uniquely qualified: 

Igor Lacan, University of Calfornia Cooperative Extension Advisor for the San Francisco Bay Area who specializes in urban forestry.

Nancy Hughes, Executive Director of The California Urban Forests Council.

 If possible, please RSVP to espwildfires@gmail.com

Due to a storm-related power outage in our host’s neighborhood, our January 10 meeting needs to be rescheduled for our regular February 14 meeting. Our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused our presenters and participants.

We are fortunate to have two presentations.

1.  Update on the ESP FIRE Foundry Course: Frontiers of Fire (9 units)

The course, prepared  by Josh Dimon (FIRE Foundry) and ESP team members  (Belle Cole, Meg McCabe, Tanya Baxter, Sophia Porter, and Paul da Silva} enables students to explore the connection between a healthy ecosystem and wildfire management through an understanding of the principles of the Ecological Sound Practices including their application to wildfire mitigation practices. 

We will present the course outline and seek your participation for this coming Spring and Summer sessions.

 2.  Raising awareness about Urban Forests: Creating a healthy, safe and climate responsive urban forest 

You will learn about planting trees: right species, right place, for the right reasons.  Our presenters are uniquely qualified: 

Igor Lacan, University of Calfornia Cooperative Extension Advisor for the San Francisco Bay Area who specializes in urban forestry.

Nancy Hughes, Executive Director of The California Urban Forests Council.

 If possible, please RSVP to espwildfires@gmail.com

From the ESP Partnership Steering Committee