California
SNC partners respond enthusiastically to record California fire & climate budget
For the reason that passage of California’s landmark 2021 funds, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) has witnessed an outpouring of enthusiasm from our companions, who seem ready to extend the tempo and scale of forest restoration.
Since June 2021, we now have obtained a document $100 million in funding requests for wildfire- and climate-resilience initiatives, practically two-times the funding that SNC has made accessible.
SNC funding on observe to be totally dedicated in 2022
In 2021, SNC obtained $80 million in state funding from the early motion wildfire resilience bundle and the wildfire and local weather resilience packages within the Fiscal 12 months 2021-22 funds. We’ve directed these funds to 3 grant applications.
Early Motion Wildfire Resilience Grants
In Could 2021, in response to the intense severity of the 2020 wildfire season, Governor Newsom permitted an early motion wildfire resilience bundle that included $19 million for SNC.
We acted shortly to place early motion funds to work. By July—solely three months later—the funding was totally dedicated to fifteen shovel-ready forest health- and wildfire-resilience initiatives. Actually, SNC obtained $38.3 million in proposals for $19 million accessible.
The message from our regional companions was clear: they’re prepared for funding.
Whereas a number of the initiatives SNC funded with early motion have been stalled by final 12 months’s fires, the brief winter enabled others to jumpstart this 12 months’s area season. In Plumas and Lassen counties, work on the Bootsole Forest and Watershed Restoration Mission—which skilled each useful and high-severity impacts from the Dixie Hearth—is already underway, as is the subsequent section of the 28,000-acre North Fork American River French Meadows Mission in Placer County.
2021 Wildfire Resilience Funding
Amid one other record-breaking fireplace season, in September 2021, lawmakers finalized one other wildfire resilience bundle, this time allocating $50 million to the SNC. In growing an expenditure technique for these funds, SNC responded to 2 concerns.
First, with the enactment of SB 208 on January 1, 2022, our service space grew by about 2 million acres to a grand complete of 27 million acres. By launching our preliminary grant spherical in January, we ensured that new elements of Shasta, Siskiyou, and Trinity counties have been in a position to entry the funds.
Second, to assist our companions do enterprise extra effectively and extra successfully, we break up our funding into two grant rounds providing roughly $25 million apiece. Doing so creates certainty about future funding alternatives and affords extra time to initiatives within the ultimate levels of growth.
As soon as once more, the response from the area illustrates that our companions are ready for wildfire-resilience funding.
The $23.75 million grant spherical, launched in January 2022, generated 30 undertaking proposals requesting slightly below $43 million. Workers funding suggestions will go to SNC’s Governing Board in June and September. At these conferences, we anticipate awarding the total $23,750,00 accessible.
In June, we may even ask our Board to approve the discharge of the second spherical of funding, making a further $23.75 million accessible for Wildfire Restoration and Forest Resilience grants.
Based mostly on the demand for undertaking funding that we now have seen up to now 12 months, we anticipate that our full $50 million wildfire-resilience appropriation might be one hundred pc dedicated by the top of 2022.
2021 Local weather Resilience Funding
To enrich the numerous funds allotted to forest well being and wildfire resilience, SNC is directing the $11.1 million for regional local weather resilience to our Strategic Conservation and Vibrant Recreation and Tourism grant applications.
These applications advance local weather resilience in a wide range of methods, together with enhancing habitat connectivity, stewarding carbon shops or water sources, defending essential pure or cultural websites, and increasing recreation entry. Additionally they assist the state’s 30×30, nature-based local weather options, and access-for-all priorities.
Following our Board’s approval of grant pointers, SNC issued a request for proposals in March. We obtained 48 idea proposals for a complete of $19.3 million. Workers suggestions to allocate roughly $10.5 million will doubtless go to SNC’s Governing Board in December.
If extra local weather resilience funding turns into accessible within the upcoming funds 12 months, SNC will be capable of open extra grant alternatives on a rolling foundation.
The Watershed Enchancment Program (WIP) is a regional technique
In all its funding selections, SNC’s overarching technique is to construct an ecosystem of high-impact initiatives and strong organizations that may obtain the targets of the Watershed Enchancment Program and advance state priorities all through the Sierra Nevada and California Cascade areas.
We do that by sustaining give attention to 4 cross-cutting priorities—forest and watershed well being, strategic lands conservation, vibrant tourism and recreation, and neighborhood resilience—and by assembly our companions the place they’re, whether or not that’s organizing their first collaborative assembly or main their tenth restoration undertaking.
To maximise the affect of all state {dollars} invested within the Sierra Nevada, we additionally assist our Regional Forest and Hearth Capability Program (RFFCP) grantees (who obtain funding for capability constructing, undertaking growth, and regional planning) subsequently entry undertaking planning and implementation grants from the SNC and different state- and federal-funding sources. This helps be certain that capability and planning investments translate instantly into on-the-ground resilience.
Latest outcomes of SNC’s work display the success of this strategy. Final 12 months alone, we witnessed how fuels therapies alongside Freeway 50 protected 7,500 individuals in Pollock Pines and Sly Park from the Caldor Hearth and the way a 3,500-acre prescribed fireplace within the Caples watershed redirected the Caldor Hearth round it.
These initiatives have been designed by locals and funded by the SNC and different state and federal businesses. The undertaking pipeline can be rising: RFFCP grantees have already used capacity-building investments to submit greater than $60 million in requests for undertaking funding.
These successes and extra, together with prescribed fireplace coaching alternatives for tribal members, big sequoia safety, and post-fire wooden utilization, are documented in SNC’s 2021 Annual Report.
With the prospect of extra state and federal funding directed towards forest well being and wildfire resilience, SNC is assured that our regional companions will stay ready for motion.
Winds fuel devastating Los Angeles wildfires growth
Firefighters are battling multiple blazes across Los Angeles, with some not contained at all.
Mandatory evacuation orders remained in effect Thursday morning as wildfires continued to rage across parts of Southern California.
The deadly fires broke out this week and have destroyed more than 1,000 homes, businesses, and other structures, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone. As of Thursday morning, at least five deaths had been confirmed, and nearly 250,000 were without power in the region, according to the USA TODAY power outage tracker.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency this week as more than 100,000 people have been forced to flee homes and evacuate the area.
The fires − Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, and Sunset − have burned thousands of acres and continue to spread due to humidity and dry vegetation, authorities said. Before the fires started, the National Weather Service issued its highest alert for extreme fire conditions in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
As of Thursday morning, Cal Fire reported the Palisades, Eaton, and Sunset fires were at zero containment, while firefighters had contained 10% of the Hurst Fire and 40% of the Lidia Fire.
Here’s where evacuation orders are in place for California and how to stay up-to-date on the latest.
Where are evacuation orders in place for the Palisades Fire?
Evacuation orders were in place from Malibu to Santa Monica, including Topanga State Park and stretching into the city as far south as Montana Avenue, as of just after 4:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, according to Cal Fire.
Wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour are expected to continue through Thursday in that area, CAL Fire reported online, “potentially aiding in further fire activity and suppression efforts.”
View an interactive map of Palisades Fire evacuation orders and warnings on the Cal Fire website.
Where are evacuation orders in place for the Hurst Fire?
Evacuation orders were in place for the San Fernando Valley, specifically at the Michael D. Antonovich Open Space Preserve, Stetson Ranch Park and Whitney Canyon Park, about 4:45 a.m. local time on Thursday, according to Cal Fire. Evacuation warnings were in place just north and south of the area.
View an interactive map of Hurst Fire evacuation orders and warnings on the Cal Fire website.
What are the evacuation orders in place for the Lidia Fire?
As of just after 4 a.m. local time on Thursday, no evacuation orders were in effect in connection to the Lidia Fire.
But Soledad Canyon Road between Agua Dulce Canyon Road and Crown Valley Road remained closed, CAL FIRE reported, as well as the entire Angeles National Forest for public safety and the protection of natural resources. The forest will remain closed through Jan. 15 at midnight.
View an interactive map of Lidia Fire on the Cal Fire website.
What are the evacuation orders in place for the Sunset Fire?
“The majority of the evacuation zone for the Sunset Fire is lifted with the exception of the area North of Franklin Ave from Camino Palmero St (East border) to North Sierra Bonita Ave. (West border)”, according to Cal Fire.
Where are evacuation orders in place for the Eaton Fire?
Evacuation orders were in place, as of about 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, for areas near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive, Altadena and Pasadena, Cal Fire reported.
Evacuation warnings were in place for areas just west and south of the area.
View an interactive map of Eaton Fire evacuation orders and warnings on the Cal Fire website.
Contributing: Greta Cross, USA TODAY
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
California
Jamie Lee Curtis fights back tears on ‘Tonight Show’ over California wildfire ‘catastrophe’ near her home: ‘It’s f–king gnarly, guys’
Jamie Lee Curtis fought back tears as she detailed the “catastrophe” of the Palisades Fire near her California home when she appeared on “The Tonight Show” Wednesday.
“As you know, where I live is on fire right now. Literally, the entire city of the Pacific Palisades is burning. I flew here last night. I was on the plane and started getting texts. It’s f–king gnarly, you guys,” Curtis said.
“It’s a catastrophe in Southern California. Obviously there has been horrific fires in many places. This is literally where I live. Everything.”
Curtis said she had “many, many, many” friends who have lost their homes in the devastation of the fires.
“It’s a really awful situation,” she added.
The 66-year-old added she was flying home first thing Thursday to be with her family and friends.
The Academy Award-winning actress, who lives in Los Angeles with her husband Christopher Guest, took to Instagram earlier Wednesday to share with her followers that her home was “possibly” on fire.
“My community and possibly my home is on fire,” the actress wrote in the post. “My family is safe. Many of my friends will lose their homes. Many other communities as well.”
“Take care of each other,” she told her followers. “Stay out of the way and let the firefighters do their work. Pray if you believe in it and even if you don’t, pray for those who do.”
Stay up to date with the NYP’s coverage of the terrifying LA-area fires
The Emmy winner is one of tens of thousands of people who have been forced to flee their homes in Pacific Palisades and neighboring areas.
Four fires have exploded in Los Angeles County, taking over 27,000 acres of land with zero containment in the Palisades, Eaton and Sunset fires.
The Hurst Fire is 10 percent contained, officials announced.
The fires are being fueled by strong winds, “dry fuels” and low humidity.
The “Halloween” star isn’t the only Hollywood figure whose home is under threat due to the fires.
Harrison Ford was seen talking to police as he attempted to get through to check on his $12.6 million Brentwood home he had evacuated because of the raging blaze.
Ford’s “Star Wars” co-star Mark Hamill was forced to flee his Malibu home Tuesday as the fire bore down on the area.
The 73-year-old actor detailed his hour-long “last minute” evacuation from Malibu as he experienced the most horrific fire since 1993.
Other LA-based celebrities have been forced to evacuate their homes amid the crisis, including “This Is Us” star Mandy Moore, “Schitt’s Creek” star Eugene Levy and “Once Upon a Time in America” actor James Woods.
Multiple major wildfires are leaving a trail of destruction and death in the Los Angeles area.
A handful of wildfires kicked up Tuesday, powered by high winds and dry conditions , and have exploded in size. As of Tuesday afternoon, 2 people have been killed and more than 80,000 people have been evacuated.
Follow live coverage here.
The maps below show the size and status of the fires. They will be updated frequently.
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