RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - A collaborative effort between the Rancho Murieta Community Services District and representatives of the Cosumnes Irrigation Association is helping to clear overgrown vegetation, reduce fire fuel and improve access along the CIA ditch: one important example of a broader, ongoing maintenance effort across the community.

The work along the CIA Ditch grew out of discussions in 2025 between district staff and CIA representatives, including Rancho Murieta Properties project manager Jeff Pearson, to address vegetation buildup along the channel and adjacent property. The ditch, which conveys water from the Cosumnes River to Laguna Joaquin and downstream ranches, had sections where dense growth limited access and increased fire risk.

Pearson and CSD Utility Supervisor Corey Carskaddon worked together to identify the overgrown and impacted areas along the ditch where CAL FIRE inmate crews could remove heavy brush and create burn piles to reduce accumulated vegetation. The burn piles are formed from the cut brush and vegetation, allowing crews to consolidate excess material as part of fuel-reduction efforts.

Creating burn piles from removed vegetation allows crews to manage that material on site, with the piles typically burned later under controlled conditions when weather and air-quality regulations allow.

Crews began work in December and, as conditions allowed, cleared sections stretching from the Granlees Dam area to the lower Rancho Murieta Country Club lot. Additional work is expected to continue toward the Highway 16 crossing as crews become available.

The Cosumnes Irrigation Association, a partnership between the CSD and private landowners, owns and operates Granlees Dam and the CIA Ditch. The district holds roughly a one-third ownership interest and is responsible for operating, maintaining and managing the ditch, with costs shared with the partners: Brianne and Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, the new owners of the Anderson Ranch; Carol Anderson Ward, the owner of equestrian center and hotel and the principal investor in Rancho Murieta Properties; and Pearson,  who is the RMP property manager.

“This work is another example of a partnership working together to both benefit the interests of the partnership and the community as a whole,” Pearson said. “We look forward to doing more of this work in the future.”

According to Carskaddon, the CIA Ditch project is part of a much larger program underway throughout Rancho Murieta that is designed to improve system performance by clearing channels and outfalls that can become clogged with vegetation, while also reducing fuel loads that contribute to wildfire risk.

The CAL FIRE inmate crews have worked at numerous locations: Greens Park, Riverview Park, Lost Lake Basin, near the wastewater treatment plant, along the drainage ditch by the equestrian center and at multiple storm drain outfalls, basins, levee areas and lift station sites across the community.

Carskaddon said that in his previous experience with other agencies, programs like CAL FIRE’s inmate crews provide participants with opportunities to give back to the community while gaining valuable work experience and skills. After joining the district, he worked with CAL FIRE to better understand local crews’ capabilities and sought – and received – board approval for the district to participate in the program.

While cost efficiency is a factor, the primary benefit is the crews’ training and ability to safely and effectively perform large-scale vegetation management and fuel reduction, he said. The partnership allows the district to address critical maintenance needs more efficiently than it could with existing staff alone.

“Overall, this has been a very positive and productive collaboration: one that supports infrastructure maintenance, reduces fire risk and provides meaningful community benefits,” Carskaddon said.

With more work planned in the coming weeks, the district expects to continue using the program to address maintenance needs throughout Rancho Murieta as conditions and crew availability allow.