Redwood Valley Rancheria and MCFSC Team Up for Wildfire Preparedness
MCFSC Fuels Crew and Redwood Valley Rancheria Community Members
The power of community was on full display in early June when the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council’s fuels-reduction crew partnered with Redwood Valley Rancheria for a Community Work Party. Equipped with protective equipment, weed-whackers, pole saws, and a shared commitment to wildfire resilience, volunteers and crew members spent the day reducing hazardous vegetation in a densely overgrown area on the northeast edge of the neighborhood, directly adjacent to homes.
For the Redwood Valley Rancheria, this work is deeply personal. During the 2017 Redwood Complex Fire, two homes in the neighborhood were lost and residents were forced to evacuate. While 27 homes survived, the experience remains a vivid reminder of the importance of proactive wildfire preparedness. An excerpt from the Press Democrat details the terrifying events from that wildfire event:
“[Rudy Flores] witnessed its fury. He and the other men on the reservation had watched as flames races toward them, down a steep hill. Flores went house to house, turning on spigots and sprinklers, and grabbing garden hoses to spray roofs, trees, and bushes. He was helpless as a wave of wind blown embers fell on his uncle Brian Williams house, destroying it. But 27 others were saved.”
Photo taken from the Press Democrat article written by Paul Payne October 13, 2017. Brian Williams, right, rubs his forehead while sifting through the ruins of his family's home, with his son Josh Martinez of Willits, at the Redwood Valley Rancheria band of Pomo Indians in Redwood Valley, California on Friday, October 13, 2017. The Williams family home was destroyed early Monday morning when the Redwood Complex fire decimated the area. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
Community Work Parties, funded through a State Coastal Conservancy grant, bring together the MCFSC crew—with their training, equipment, and chipper—with local volunteers to tackle fuel-reduction projects that might otherwise be difficult for a neighborhood to complete on its own. These events not only reduce wildfire risk but also strengthen community-wide connections and preparedness.
Interested in hosting a Community Work Party in your neighborhood? Learn more and sign up on our website:
