Spring Regional Meeting – Marin County, CA
The Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority and Fire Safe Marin are hosting the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force Regional Meeting March 27 at the Embassy Suites in San Rafael, California. A remote attendance option will be available via Zoom.
The meeting on March 27 will focus on critical issues related to community wildfire risk reduction and landscape management in Marin County. We will kick off the day with refreshments and a resource fair.
On March 28, Task Force partners will host field tours offering immersive opportunities to better understand the critical landscape health and wildfire resilience work being done in Marin County and the greater Bay Area.
New for this meeting! The Climate and Wildfire Institute and Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority are hosting special Keynote Speaker Event the evening of March 26 at the Embassy Suites.
EVENT SCHEDULE
March 26
Keynote Speaker Night – Wildfires and Climate Change in California
Separate registration is required!
Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority and Climate and Wildfire Institute present Dr. Daniel Swain, renowned climate scientist from the University of California, Los Angeles who will present his research on climate and wildfire with a special emphasis on what we can learn from the recent Los Angeles fires.
Reception: 4:30 p.m – 6 p.m.
Keynote: 6 p.m – 7p.m.
March 27
Spring Regional Meeting
– Resource Fair – 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
– Morning Session – 10:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
– Lunch – 12:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
– Afternoon Session – 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
– Reception at Embassy Suites – 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Meeting registration is required.)
March 28
field tours
China Camp State Park: Prescribed Burning & Workforce Development
30+ Years of Collaboration To Promote More Resilient Human and Natural Communities at China Camp State Park
Visit China Camp State Park and hear about how a unique 30-year collaboration between State Parks, local fire agencies, and the FIRE Foundry has helped protect the Park’s hardwood forests and the adjacent homes in the WUI of San Rafael.
Pack a lunch and take a walk with sweeping views of San Francisco and San Pablo bays while learning about recent fuels reduction and prescribed fire treatments and the role of the FIRE Foundry in accomplishing the work. The FIRE Foundry is a workforce development and education program created in 2022 to support underserved and under-represented individuals in navigating a career in the fire service.
Start/End Time: 9:30 a.m. to approximately 1 p.m.
Meet: Embassy Suites San Rafael
Transport: Car caravan & vans available
Notes: Bring lunch. Prepare to hike on dirt roads and uneven terrain for 1.5 miles with up to 300 feet elevation gain.
Mountain Bike Tour of Marin County’s Camp Tamarancho
Public/Private Partnership to Promote Wildfire Prevention, Public Safety, and Sustainable Recreation
Bring your mountain bike (or rent one) and tour 412-acre Camp Tamarancho with amazing views of the North Bay stretching from Mt. Tamalpais to Mt. Diablo.
Learn about the multi-faceted fire preparedness work completed by Marin County to protect the communities of Fairfax & Woodacre while promoting safe and sustainable public recreation on the property.
Start/End Time: 9:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Meet: Splitrock Tap & Wheel – Fairfax
Transport: Mountain or e-mountain bike + full safety gear (rentals available)
Notes: Minimum intermediate cycling ability preferred for riding on fire roads and some technical single track.
– Bike rentals are available in Fairfax at Sunshine Bicycle Center and Splitrock Tap & Wheel.
Tomales Bay Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project
A Precedent-Setting Partnership & Tribal Collaboration Project
Pack a lunch and join California State Parks and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy for a tour of Tomales Bay State Park. Learn how the One Tam collaborative partnered with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to develop an RFFC-funded Regional Priority Plan for Marin County, and how California State Parks leveraged the Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy to include Tribal participation in the Coastal Development Permit and CalVTP process.
Start/End Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Meet: Vista Point Picnic Area – Inverness
Transport: 50-minute drive from San Rafael – Carpooling Encouraged – Parking Passes Provided
Notes: Prepare to hike on dirt roads and uneven terrain for 2.5 miles with up to 400 feet elevation gain.
Forest and Watershed Resilience on Mt. Tamalpais
Reflections on 5-years of Management to Increase Forest Resilience on Mt. Tamalpais Watershed to Protect the County’s Water Supply
On a beautiful hike through Mt. Tamalpais Watershed’s mixed-conifer forests and oak woodlands, review forest health and fuels reduction treatments, view and learn about recent prescribed burning sites, and discuss management designed to address impacts from weeds, fire exclusion, and pathogen impacts. The hike ends with a bring-your-own picnic lunch atop Mt. Tam’s West Peak with panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Start/End Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Meet: Quarry Parking Lot – E. Ridgecrest Blvd at Lagunitas Rock Springs Road
Transport: 40-minute drive from San Rafael – Carpooling Encouraged – Parking Passes Provided
Notes: Prepare to hike on dirt roads and uneven terrain for 2.5 miles with up to 500-feet elevation gain.
Forest and Fire Ecology: The Old Growth Coast Redwoods of Muir Woods National Monument
National Park Service Efforts to Bring Beneficial Fire Back to Marin’s Iconic Old Growth Redwood Forests
Join National Park Service natural resource and interpretive staff on a hike through the majestic old-growth coast redwoods of Muir Woods National Monument. Planning is underway to bring prescribed fire back to Muir Woods for the first time in decades, and the One Tam collaborative behind the Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy / Regional Priority Plan is helping to make it happen.
Learn about the significance and inner workings of this unique and remnant habitat while strolling the Main Trail with its bridges and boardwalks along Redwood Creek and through the remarkable Cathedral Grove.
Start/End Time: 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Meet: Embassy Suites San Rafael
Transport: MWPA to coordinate vans
Notes: Café on site or bring lunch. Prepare to hike on smooth terrain and gentle grade for 2 miles.
Greater Novato Shaded Fuel Break Tour
Creating an Expanded Defensible Space Buffer Around the Novato Community
Learn how Novato Fire District, Marin County Parks, and Marin Wildfire are using the CalVTP process, a CAL FIRE Wildfire Prevention grant, and two tax revenues to fund a 60-mile expanded defensible space project around the entire community of Novato. This tour will feature field presentations at three locations that focus on the CalVTP process, collaborative treatments, and prescribed burning.
Start/End Time: 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Meet: South Hamilton Park – Novato
Transport: Self-Driving – 3 Stops, Starting 15 minutes from San Rafael – Carpooling Encouraged
Notes: Bring lunch. Prepare to hike on smooth terrain and gentle grade for 2 miles.
Questions? Please contact foresttaskforce@fire.ca.gov
Thank You to our Hosts
Thank You to our Sponsors
