The San Rafael - San Anselmo Fuel Reduction Zone Project (formerly called the Ridgewood Shaded Fuel Break Project) is a joint project of the San Rafael and Central Marin Member Agencies and includes collaboration among several partners, including San Rafael Fire, Ross Valley Fire, Town of San Anselmo, Marin County Parks, the Tamalpais Cemetery, and others. The proposed project includes environmental compliance, planning, outreach, and the first phase of implementation of a fuel reduction zone between San Rafael and multiple Central Marin communities. Project activities of this multi-year project would be phased and would include thinning of nonnative invasive eucalyptus trees and restoration with native species with the purpose of reducing wildfire risk and intensity in a strategically important location.
Project Update 4/26/24: Work continued within approximately the same footprint as last week. Approximately 4 acres are complete and 1.5-2 acres are in progress. Two bird nests were found to be under construction by wildlife biologists and no-work buffers were established. No work will take place near these nests while they remain active.
Project Update 4/19/24: Work continued within approximately the same footprint as last week. Approximately 6 acres are either complete or in progress within the pilot project area. No new bird nests were found by wildlife biologists this week.
Project Update 4/12/24: Work continues Monday through Friday as weather allows. Nesting bird surveys continue to be performed by wildlife biologists to ensure no work takes place near active nests. Approximately 2.4 acres have been completed and another 3.2 acres are in progress within the 10-acre pilot project area.
Project Update 3/26/24: In the map above, the 10-acre blue polygon depicts the 2024 "pilot project" - the first area to be treated in 2024. Work is currently underway (Mon-Fri as weather allows) within a 3.8-acre portion of the pilot project area. Work generally includes removal of small diameter eucalyptus trees and some larger diameter hazard trees where needed. A few small diameter native bay or other trees may be removed in some locations but most native trees will be retained. Please note that nesting bird surveys are taking place regularly to avoid work near active nests.
Photos: Before and After Photos (Updated 4/26/24)
More information is available here: Frequently Asked Questions (Updated 3/29/24)
JOIN US! PUBLIC FIELD TRIP #3 (May 6, 2024 / 1-3pm)
Join MWPA, San Rafael Fire, Ross Valley Fire, Town of San Anselmo, and the Ecologically Sound Practices Partnership for a site visit to see the project in progress! Meet us at 1pm on May 6th at the entrance to the Mount Tamalpais Cemetery at the end of Fifth Avenue.
RSVP: acrealock@marinwildfire.org
Meeting Date and Time: May 6, 2024 / 1pm - 3pm
Meeting Location: Mount Tamalpais Cemetery entrance (2500 Fifth Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901)
Parking: Please carpool if you can and park on public streets in the adjacent neighborhoods.
Hiking: This field trip requires walking uphill for those who are able. MWPA will also have a vehicle to transport participants to the top of the hill as needed.
ADA Accessibility: MWPA is happy to accommodate ADA compliant vehicle access to the field trip site; please let us know if you require such accommodation in your RSVP.
Remote Participation: This event will be livestreamed on MWPA's Facebook page.
Public Field Trip #2 (February 13, 2024)
MWPA, San Rafael Fire, Ross Valley Fire, Town of San Anselmo, and the Ecologically Sound Practices Partnership hosted well over 50 attendees to hear about the first 10 acres of project implementation (the "pilot project"), planned for early 2024. The tour will also gave an overview on the project planning process and next steps after the pilot is completed.
8/16/23 Public Meeting:
Thank you for joining us for a virtual presentation and Q&A session on August 16, 2023 from 6:00 to 7:30pm. If you missed the meeting, we invite you to watch the presentation and review the slides by following the links below.
Residents in the area received this meeting invitation in the mail.
Presentation Video: Available here
Presentation Slides: Available here
Public Field Trip #1 (August 29, 2023)
On August 29, 2023 neighbors and various stakeholders joined MWPA, San Rafael Fire, Ross Valley Fire, and MCOSD for a walk in the project area. Stay tuned for future opportunities to view project implementation activities.
Email questions to: srsafrz@panoramaenv.com
More Project Resources
Click here to view the map
To view the project area spatially, click on this link: Overview KMZ and download the file. This file is viewable using Google Earth and allows the user to navigate and zoom into different parts of the project area. Open the file with earth.google.com or install Google Earth - use these instructions.
