Nevada County is taking a step towards increased wildfire preparedness with a new infusion of funds for vegetation management. Announced recently, the county has accepted a $750,000 grant from the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region Fire and Aviation Management. This grant, part of a Congressionally Directed Spending request, will bolster the Critical Evacuation Route and Hazardous Vegetation Removal Program, as stated on the Nevada County's official website.
Craig Griesbach, Director of Emergency Services, highlighted community concerns about evacuation routes in the county's Roadmap to Resilience strategic planning. "Throughout our Roadmap to Resilience strategic planning effort evacuation concerns have consistently been identified as a priority by community members across the county," Griesbach told NevadaCountyCA.gov. He added that the program aims to clear vegetation from private roads, often the first path residents take during an evacuation. With almost 2,240 miles of privately owned roads in the area, the grant addresses a critical safety concern.
The grant's deployment will follow the approach of previous Firewise Community Micro-Grant Programs, which offered twenty-six $3,600 grants for local wildfire mitigation. According to the Nevada County CA website, Darin Blue from the Floriston Firewise Community praised the micro-grant program for its role in community mobilization, “It can rally a community around a small portion, creating awareness of the broader scale of ongoing egress maintenance.”
The initiative is scaling up, with plans to offer approximately fifty-nine $20,000 projects to tackle hazardous vegetation on private roads. Vicky Reeder, Vice Chair of the Greater Champion Firewise Community, expressed confidence in the Office of Emergency Services, "These $20,000 grants are a fantastic opportunity for Nevada County. We have so many roads with hazardous vegetation." Reeder, as quoted on the Nevada County CA website, believes that the support from OES in selecting contractors and project management alleviates the burden from the Firewise Communities.
Project applications will be scrutinized against criteria such as compliance with the Evacuation Study and Community Wildfire Protection Plan, that includes the benefit to underserved communities, and preparedness for immediate commencement. The finalized call for proposals timeline and additional program details are expected to be released early 2025 and will be accessible at ReadyNevadaCounty.org.
