ANNOUCING THE 2022 WILDFIRE RESILIENCY AND PREVENTION GRANTEES | Cal Parks

09 February 2023

California State Parks Foundation awarded nine grants totaling $138,472 to help California state parks prepare for and recover from wildfire.

San Francisco, CA — California State Parks Foundation is investing $138,472 in programs that focus on wildfire mitigation and resilience — decreasing wildfire risk and improving the landscape’s ability to recover after a fire. 

In the past several years, California has experienced the worst fire seasons in its recorded history, with over seven million acres burning since 2020. Urgent action is essential to protect California’s beloved state parks from this growing threat, and California State Parks Foundation’s wildfire resilience grant is a direct step toward that goal. 

Through this series of grants, we are supporting land managers who use innovative approaches to wildfire resilience. A few key priorities of the grants funded include: 

  • Using prescribed burns and removing debris to foster a healthy ecosystem and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. 

  • Restoring landscapes overrun with highly flammable invasive species to let native plants that have evolved to cope with fire thrive. 

  • Educating and activating local communities about increasing wildfire resilience in state parks and how they can take action. 


“These wildfire resilience grants allow our organization to both support and learn about successful wildfire resilience strategies across the state,” said Emily Doyle, California State Parks Foundation’s Climate Resilience Program Manager. “By evaluating program impacts over time, we can continue to fund effective, innovative solutions and ensure that California State Parks Foundation is a key partner in building a climate-resilient state park system.” 
 

We are thrilled to award nine amazing organizations with grants ranging from $9,000 to $40,000 to support their work creating a more climate-resilient system across these state parks: 


Northern California 

1. Azalea State Natural Reserve (McKinleyville, CA) 
 

Sacramento Area 

2. California State Indian Museum (Sacramento, CA) 
3. Folsom Lake State Recreation Area (Folsom, CA) 
4. Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park (Coloma, CA) 
 

Bay Area 

5. Burleigh H. Murray Ranch Park Property (Half Moon Bay, CA) 
6. Sugarloaf Ridge State Park (Kenwood, CA) 
 

Los Angeles Area 

7. Leo Carrillo State Park (Malibu, CA) 
8. Crystal Cove State Park (Laguna Beach, CA) 
9. Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook (Culver City, CA) 

The grant projects cover a wide swath of California’s parklands and a range of approaches to wildfire resilience. The projects include removing invasive plants around historic buildings, training teachers and educators, and creating interactive art exhibits focusing on indigenous relationships with fire. 


"[We will] shift community perspective on native plants and how they can benefit the community when it comes to fire resiliency. With opportunities for more native planting we will be able to educate visitors on the importance of native vegetation in terms of fire resiliency,” said grant recipient Jim Cassio, Board President of Friends of Lakes Folsom and Natoma. “With Folsom Lake State Recreation Area being located within an urban setting, not only do we have an opportunity but an obligation to set an example of the ideal natural ecosystem and native plant vegetation." 
 

Support for our 2022 Wildfire Resiliency and Prevention Grant Round was generously provided by Edison International, The PG&E Corporation Foundation, and by our California State Parks Foundation members and donors.  

To view a full list of grantees, programs, and projects, visit our website at https://www.calparks.org/blog/announcing-our-2022-wildfire-resiliency-and-prevention-grantees.