This project meets the core MWPA goals of improving vegetation management by reducing flammable plants, dead and downed trees, and vegetation to reduce the risk of fire intensity and improve resident wildfire preparedness knowledge. This project focuses on reducing flammable vegetation (fuels) and enhancing defensible space around the Marin Valley Mobile Country Club senior community in southern Novato. Using goats to graze fuels, this project seeks to maintain an existing fuel break 100 feet from the 313 mobile home units, as well as 10’ on both sides of fire roads in the community. It will enhance defensible space surrounding these structures by creating a shaded fuel break. Treatment within non-native annual grassland communities will be limited to goat grazing and/or manual removal of dead woody vegetation, and removal of low lying shrubs and common coyote brush to reduce the risk of fire spread and intensity. No healthy, mature, scenic trees will be removed under this project. In person home evaluations will be performed to educate homeowners on mitigation efforts to reduce fire intensity and spread, such as removing highly flammable vegetation near homes. These efforts will also improve the capacity to fight fire effectively. First, an Environmental Assessment (EA) will be conducted and provided to the MWPA for review. Based on the assessment, there will either be a Notice of Exemption (NOE) or a full CEQA review. Once that is completed, bird nest, bat and wood rat surveys will be conducted before mowing is implemented. The project will be documented with before and after photos.
