Wildfire Resilience Program Capacity Enhancement (Cachuma Resource Conservation District project)

Notice of exemption for Coastal Conservancy approval of grant funding. The CRCD project consists of funding staff costs for a new three-quarter time staff assistant at the Cachuma Resource Conservation District (CRCD) to carry out CRCD’s mission by developing and administering wildfire resilience programs and projects recommended in the Santa Barbara County Regional Priority Plan (RPP) and the Santa Barbara County Regional Wildfire Mitigation Program (RWMP). Project activities will include: developing projects; conducting wildfire education, and providing technical assistance on fire management for members of the public and landowners; partnering with other public agencies and non-profits to apply for and secure funds to develop or expand wildfire mitigation strategies included in the RWMP and RPP such as regional fire fuel hazard reduction strategies (chipping, native restoration, roadside vegetation management, grazing, and prescribed/cultural burning) to benefit participating communities; representing CRCD in public forums and collaborative planning activities; assist with RPP website upkeep and maintenance; participating in training and peer-to-peer learning; and developing a long-term program funding plan. CRCD is transitioning to in-house wildfire program staff after using contractors in the program’s early stages. Funding this wildfire staff position will enable long-term development, coordination, and administration of RPP and RWMP projects. The CRCD project will encompass wildfire planning and mitigation efforts throughout Santa Barbara County, utilizing High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones as a guide and prioritizing Communities at Risk. Initial focus will build upon identified priority wildfire resilience and forest health projects and prior efforts in the wildland-urban interface. As the program develops, the CRCD will seek to identify new partnership opportunities within the county’s extensive forests and rangelands. While the CRCD project will focus primarily on Santa Barbara County, fire knows no bounds. As demonstrated by the 2025 Madre and Gifford fires in the Cuyama Valley of Santa Barbara County, wildfire can quickly spread into adjacent jurisdictions. Wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts are occurring in adjacent counties and the CRCD project will leverage existing partnerships to support priorities through regional collaborations.