A Warm Welcome from

Mother Lode Prescribed Burn Association

Hello everyone,

We are very excited to be sending out the Mother Lode Prescribed Burn Association’s very first subscription newsletter! You are receiving this email because you indicated an interest in our organization.

The Mother Lode PBA was created by a group of inspired locals who realized the importance of using fire as a land management tool. Our goal is to aid in the return of fire to the land by equipping the community with the tools, training, and resources to conduct burning operations of varying size and complexity on their own property. Even as prescribed fire becomes more widely accepted as the future of firefighting, it tends to be limited to government agencies on public lands. At the Mother Lode PBA we accept all experience levels, whether you are a hotshot or you only almost successfully built a campfire once, we believe that fire is for everyone and that providing the public the opportunity to manage their land using fire is integral to creating a fire safe community.

So Far:

To date, the PBA has held workshops on prescribed burn use and planning, and held three landowner-led burn events. In December of 2021, landowners in Long Barn hosted 20 volunteers to help them burn 3 acres of forested property. In February of 2022, landowners in Camp Connell hosted 10 volunteers at a pile burning event. And in May of 2022, landowners in Angels Camp hosted 12 volunteers to burn about 2 acres of grassland. Volunteers have ranged from those with professional fire credentials to those with no experience burning at all. All events have served as educational opportunities for members to learn about the prescribed fire planning and implementation process and get more hands-on experience with live fire. The events often end with a shared meal and debriefing where all the volunteers talk about their experience and build camaraderie.

So Good:

In June, the Tuolumne County Resource Conservation District was awarded funding through the CA Department of Conservation’s Regional Forest and Fire Capacity program to hire a part-time PBA coordinator. The Watershed Research and Training Center distributed these grants to eleven PBAs across the state to fund leadership, peer mentorship, and training and travel. The Tuolumne County RCD was awarded funding for a half-time coordinator for the next two years and has hired Claire Rappaport to fill the role. Rappaport has a background in prescribed fire use as a management tool on land owned by the State of California, and is looking forward to bringing that experience to private landowners. Moving forward, Rappaport will work with PBA members to help coordinate burns during the burn season.

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We look forward to the next year of burn events and to welcoming many wonderful new PBA members! Please stay tuned for updates on upcoming workshops and burn days, and for the announcement of our new Facebook and Instagram pages.

For more information please contact Claire Rappaport, claire@tcrcd.org.

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