Conservancy volunteers were busy in June and July working on the trails in our canyon, while efforts to make us safer from wildfire were moving forward at UC, in Oakland, and in Sacramento.
In June, our volunteers relocated a small section of the Willow Trail, where it had become a seasonal creek, and a little further up the trail moved a creek crossing where erosion had begun to weaken one of the corners.
In Oakland, the City Council has approved a large increase in its vegetation management budget, thanks to efforts by residents lobbying for more resources to be focused on this problem. Similarly, UC is gearing up its environmental review of a grant it has received from CalFire for vegetation management (see November 2019 draft Plan). The Conservancy is watching these processes carefully to ensure adequate focus on removal of wildfire threats.
Finally, we will continue our efforts, along with members of the Oakland Firesafe Council and Assemblymember Jim Wood, to encourage the California state legislature to create and fund up to 18 regional wildfire prevention districts throughout California. This proposed new districts would lead local communities in fire safety measures at the wildland-urban interface.
