Every year, wildfires burn across the United States, and a growing number of people are living where wildfires are a real risk. Plumas County is surrounded by woodlands and wildfires and recently experienced the devastating impacts of the Dixie Fire, the second-largest in California’s history at 963,309 acres.
That’s why Sierra Nevada Journeys and the lower grizzly community became a Firewise Site of Excellence.
The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Firewise USA® program teaches people how to adapt to living with wildfire and encourages neighbors to work together and take action now to prevent possible losses in the future.
In order to receive designation as a Firewise Community, Sierra Nevada Journeys and neighboring homeowners completed a risk assessment of the Lower Grizzly Creek area. Together they developed an action plan to address the identified risks, areas of successful wildfire risk reduction and areas where improvements could be made. This effort earned Sierra Nevada Journeys and its neighbors the designation as a Firewise Community, demonstrating our commitment to protecting the community from wildfire. The designation also helps guide our future activities.
“Sierra Nevada Journeys strives to be a leader in environmental stewardship, and being named a Firewise Community is just another way we demonstrate our commitment to supporting our local ecosystems,” says Adam Yarnes, Camp Executive Director, Sierra Nevada Journeys. “We want children and others who use our facilities to feel safe and know that we are committed to taking all safeguards while protecting the environment.”
Yarnes says the preparation Sierra Nevada Journeys put into being named a Firewise Community can be shared with organizations who train at camp, including the Feather River College Environmental Studies program. The college sends students to the camp to practice hands-on forestry maintenance.
“Fire prevention and mitigation are key to maintaining forest health for future generations, and the students from places like Feather River College will benefit from seeing and learning first-hand how to protect woodland and wildland areas,” Yarnes says.
Some steps for preparing your buildings and land for wildfires include:
Vegetation management, limiting the amount of vegetation around building and ignition zones;
Trimming branches that overhang near buildings, thinning of trees and removal of plants that contain resins, oils and waxes;
Use gravel instead of flammable mulches;
Use fire resistive construction materials for roofs, decks and siding; and
Prepare for emergencies with clearly marked addresses, clearance around driveways and detailed evacuation plans.
To learn more about why fires start and how to stay safe, you can find educational information at nfpa.org.
