In the wake of the 2017 Sonoma Complex fires, the Board of Supervisors directed Sonoma County Ag + Open Space to convene a coalition of organizations and agencies to identify short-term actions for watershed recovery and long-term strategies for watershed resiliency.
The Watershed Collaborative included the active engagement and participation of multiple NGOs, RCDs and community groups, the Sonoma County Water Agency, Sonoma County Regional Parks, UC Cooperative Extension, as well as state and federal agencies including the Regional Water Quality Control Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, NOAA Fisheries, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. This post-fire collaborative aligned with the Board’s strategic Healthy Watersheds Initiative and represented a re-focus of that initiative towards recovery from major wildfires.
After the 2017 Sonoma Complex Fires, this collaborative developed a report that aligned with and supported other Board initiative areas, and included recommendations for short- and long-term actions in each of the following focus areas.
- Data, Assessment & Planning
- Land Management
- Legislative, Policy & Funding
- Working Lands
- Education & Outreach
The report, Living in a Fire-Adapted Landscape, was delivered to the Board in January 2018, and was a foundational document for the Natural Resources section of the County’s former Office of Recovery and Resiliency (which is now part of its Policy, Grants, and Special Projects division).
See Living in a Fire-Adapted Landscape: Priorities for Resiliency here >>
Since 2017, several members of this group have continued to work together as the Watershed Task Force to develop recommendations for short-term and long-term strategies for watershed recovery and resiliency after wildfires.