Training

See also: Central Coast Fire Learning Network, Sustainable Human SystemsParticipants examined sites where CalFire worked with neighborhood groups, property owners, and local fire departments on fire safety measures. The group toured sites and became more familiar with the practices CalFire employs to reduce fuel loads, decrease fire danger, and increase the efficacy of responses to wildfire. The tour featured Angela Bernheisel, CalFire Vegetation Management Program Coordinator, and Rich Sampson, CalFire Division Chief, as well as vegetation scientists with UCSC, San Francisco State University, and the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. Participation in the event was by invitation only with the intended audience being professionals whose work entails protecting coastal resources; this included municipal and county planning personnel, state and federal regulatory agencies, and researchers/scientists. Elkhorn Slough Coastal Training Program Coordinator Dr. Grey Hayes facilitated the discussion and training. The goals of the day included: better understanding of the costs, benefits, and practices of vegetation management in increasing fire safety, how these practices integrate with conservation of sensitive natural resources, and how agencies can better collaborate to create a more fire safe landscape that conserves biological diversity. This training was the first in a series of planned field trips to review the diversity of projects employed to create a better managed landscape on the central coast; future trips will build on this initial experience and include a broader range of land managers and regulators.  Let us know if you are interested!