RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - A wrap-up presentation on the CAL FIRE grant that reduced ladder fuels in and around Rancho Murieta, as well as the potential for a new grant, were notable topics at the Rancho Murieta Regional Fire Safe Council's quarterly Zoom meeting on March 3.

The council also discussed plans for National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, which will take place May 2 in the Tractor Supply parking lot, as well as home-hardening training, efforts to recruit new council members, and other updates.

Registered forester Phyllis Banducci began the meeting with slides from the final report she is preparing for CAL FIRE. Banducci, a Rancho Murieta resident, supervised on-the-ground work to reduce ladder fuels on 950 acres of woodland in and around Rancho Murieta, funded by a $4.5 million grant the Fire Safe Council secured in 2022 and administered by Sacramento County Regional Parks.

Banducci showed before-and-after slides of the work on a ranch along Scott Road, behind the Calero Reservoir, in the Deer Creek Hills Preserve and at several locations along Parkway Loop. But she was most enthusiastic about slides showing the work at Greens Park, saying it was a key treatment area because it is so close to homes.

Banducci said contractors working under her supervision finished their work a year ago, clearing the tree understory, removing ground fuels consisting mostly of blackberry bushes, and covering the ground with wood chips. However, they were unable to use heavy equipment in the wetlands.

More recently, the Rancho Murieta Community Services District brought in CAL FIRE inmate crews for ditch maintenance. They used hand tools to clear vegetation in the wetlands. The Rancho Murieta Association Maintenance Department then followed up with herbicide treatment. Neither of those efforts was part of the grant.

“They have cleaned it out … so that area just looks incredible, and those homes right up against Greens Park are more protected than ever,” she said.

Banducci also clarified that the grant covered two types of work. The most significant was the reduction in ladder fuels in the wildland-urban interface. It also funded ecological restoration in the Deer Creek Hills Preserve, including treating invasive plants and planting native oaks.

Banducci said the saplings were planted in cages to protect them from cattle and deer, with chips from nearby fuel-reduction work spread around the trees to help retain moisture and suppress annual grasses: an effort she said is “looking good” so far. 

Kelly Hopkins, executive director of the Sacramento Valley Conservancy, added that all the trees were grown from acorns collected within the preserve and raised in isolation at Helix Nursery to avoid importing pests or disease. She said the conservancy will continue watering and maintaining the site, aiming to make it the most successful planting project yet at Deer Creek Hills, even though some natural die-off is expected.

Banducci concluded her presentation by thanking the Fire Safe Council “for making all of it happen.”

Pryor returned the thanks. 

“It almost seemed like a miracle that we were able to pull off that end around to get you involved,” he said. “For a while it looked like we weren’t even going to get a forester, and I’m so glad we did, because you cared so much about this area; that was such a critical element of the project.” 

Brenna Howell, the Fire Safe coordinator for the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services, briefed the group on the possibility of another grant. Howell, a Rancho Murieta resident, regularly participates in Fire Safe Council meetings.

Howell reported that the 2026 State Fire Capacity Program has opened a new round of grants offering up to $200,000 per project. Unlike recent planning-focused grants, this opportunity emphasizes on-the-ground mitigation, including fuel reduction, chipper programs, preparedness activities and planning efforts such as a Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

The grant will require a local match, and Howell is reviewing whether in-kind volunteer time can count toward that requirement. She said she will circulate a written synopsis so the council can consider potential project ideas for Rancho Murieta.

Pryor asked Banducci whether there were other areas where an additional grant could be used for fuel reduction. Banducci replied that she does not see many truly new areas needing initial treatment, because most of the oak overstory stands were already included in the current project, and the areas she excluded were largely open grasslands with minimal oak cover.

Instead, she said the priority now is maintenance – returning to treated areas in two or three years for “some light treatment” to manage regrowth – and possibly using future funds to re-approach a few landowners who did not participate the first time, particularly along the dirt portion of Latrobe Road.

Banducci also explained that because the $4.5 million project used the Cal VTP Environmental Impact Report, the CEQA environmental review for future vegetation work in these areas, including pile and broadcast burning, is already complete. She called this a “huge” advantage and cost savings, noting that landowners can now work with CAL FIRE to adjust existing vegetation management plans and move ahead with new treatments more easily. At this point, she said, “It’s just a matter of getting the funding to do the work.”

The discussion also touched on preparations for Wildfire Community Preparedness Day on May 2 in Rancho Murieta. Council member Karen Hoberg, a realtor, said she had verbal permission from Tractor Supply to use its parking lot for the event. Howell said she has identified 11 to 12 agencies to invite, and they will be asked to set up their own booths to share information and materials.

Pryor said the Rancho Murieta Association has also offered to bring its masticator to the public education effort. He added that the May 2 event will help maintain the community’s Firewise status, which allows residents to qualify for discounts from their insurance companies.

Hopkins reported that she drafted text for a Google Form to help recruit new council members. She asked council members to review the draft language, confirm they are comfortable with it, and then decide how and where to share it.

Howell also advised the group about the upcoming “CAL FIRE Qualified Entity” training scheduled for May 4 and 5. The training prepares participants to visit neighborhoods and advise homeowners on home hardening and defensible space. She emphasized that she would like Fire Safe Council members and volunteers to attend the free training. She will provide the details and sign-up information.

Pryor also reported that a preliminary draft of the Rancho Murieta Resiliency Plan is nearing completion. The Fire Safe Council was instrumental in getting the project off the ground. The plan is being led by the Sacramento County Department of Transportation (SacDOT), through Caltrans, under the Climate Adaptation Planning Grant, and aims to address critical infrastructure challenges in Rancho Murieta highlighted by nearby wildfires and the 2023 New Year’s flooding event.

Pryor said he and retired traffic engineer John Long will review the draft and decide how to respond and whether they can support it.

The Fire Safe Council’s next meeting is slated for June 2.