Bolinas Ladder Fuels TreatmentCOMMUNITIES: Bolinas INTERFACE: Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area FIRE DISTRICT: Bolinas Fire Protection District FUNDING PROVIDED: $30,000 (FY 2003) OBJECTIVE: Reduce the fuel load along a tree-lined windbreak at the border between the town of Bolinas and Point Reyes National Seashore by removing ladder and understory fuels. DESCRIPTION: A private contractor will limb up twenty-four cypress and six eucalyptus trees to 2.5 to 3 meters (8 to 10 feet) above grade, remove the dead wood, and mow underneath the trees. Bolinas is a small, unincorporated West Marin community surrounded by NPS lands and the Pacific Ocean. Bolinas has a year round population of approximately 2,500, with a larger summer population. The community contains several historic buildings and ranches. The neighborhood involved in this project consists of 16 homes, and is isolated at the end of a poorly maintained, narrow, dirt road with limited access and escape routes. NPS/FSM TASK AGREEMENT NO. 42 List of Projects | Top of Page 
Bolinas Mesa Defensible Space SurveyCOMMUNITIES: Bolinas INTERFACE: Point Reyes National Seashore FIRE DISTRICT: Marin County Fire Department / Bolinas Fire Protection District FUNDING PROVIDED: $20,000 (FY 2002) OBJECTIVE: Provide the services of the community to reduce hazard fuel vegetation and facilitate the creation of defensible space. DESCRIPTION: The development of a Bolinas Fire Management Plan will map hazard fuel areas within the boundaries of the Bolinas Fire Protection District, educate and involve the local population in planning the fuel modifications, and prepare a plan for fuel modifications. The main residential area of Bolinas, the Bolinas Mesa, is overgrown with grass, brush, and eucalyptus, cypress, and pine trees. Historically, many of the residents have been resistant to efforts to create defensible space. This project, which takes hazard fuels and turns them into useable compost, seems to appeal to the community, and we are seeing much more defensible space work since we started the program. The fuel load in and adjacent to the residential areas of Bolinas combined with poorly maintained narrow dirt roads creates potential for disaster should ignition occur at the wrong time of year. Involving the community in its own defensible space work is critical for success in making this a more fire-safe community. NPS/FSM TASK AGREEMENT NO. 28 List of Projects | Top of Page 
Resource Recovery ProjectCOMMUNITIES: Bolinas, Stinson Beach INTERFACE: Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area FIRE DISTRICT: Bolinas Fire Protection District FUNDING PROVIDED: $52,500 (FY 2001) OBJECTIVE: Expand the capacity of an existing community composting operation to treat hazardous fuels. DESCRIPTION: The Resource Recovery Project has gained wide community support from residents who are more inclined to reduce vegetation when the process involves composting as opposed to landfilling. This project funds new equipment (a loader) and site work (tree removal) which allows more hazardous fuel material to be processed. The Resource Recovery Project provides residents with a year round facility whereas earlier chipping programs were only available a few weekends per year. The project directly supports efforts to create defensible space around homes. Mulch and topsoil produced by grinding, aeration and decomposition are useful by-products of the process. Bolinas and Stinson Beach are small, unincorporated communities in West Marin which are surrounded on all sides by Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the Pacific Ocean. The approximate year round population of Bolinas is 2,500 and of Stinson Beach is 1,200. The project site is located in Bolinas. NPS/FSM TASK AGREEMENT NO. 11 & 22 List of Projects | Top of Page 
Wish Creek Fuel Reduction ProjectCOMMUNITIES: Bolinas INTERFACE: Point Reyes National Seashore FIRE DISTRICT: Bolinas Fire Protection District FUNDING PROVIDED: $26,600 (FY 2001), $20,000 (FY 2002) OBJECTIVE: Reduce hazardous fuels around residences located within the southern boundary of Point Reyes National Seashore. DESCRIPTION: Three stands of trees will be treated within the Wish Creek Watershed. 1) A dense 0.4-hectare (one-acre) stand of Bishop pine (planted in 1979) will be converted to a shaded fuel break. Selective thinning and removal of dead branches and ladder fuels will reduce overall vegetation density of the stand. This stand is located upwind of residences and the heavily traveled Mesa Road where high potential for automobile ignition exists. 2) A stand of exotic Monterey pines will be removed from a steep, narrow canyon adjacent to residences to eliminate the potential for crown fire, and allow restoration of the native plant community. 3) A 0.8-hectare (two-acre) stand of exotic eucalyptus will be removed from a steep, narrow canyon adjacent to residences. This will include removal of highly flammable duff up within the stand that has accumulated up to 1 meter (39 inches) in depth. A total of over 300 tons of biomass will be removed from the Wish Creek Watershed in conjunction with a 20-year restoration effort that has enjoyed widespread community support. NPS/FSM TASK AGREEMENT NO. 2 & 23 |
Last updated: January 26, 2024