In the wake of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires—which destroyed 13,000 homes and claimed 31 lives, including 19 in the Eaton Fire in Altadena—the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) is advancing a proactive, regional response to the Fire Adaptive Infrastructure barrier through its San Gabriel Valley Wildfire Resilience and Fuel Reduction Program. Backed by nearly $950,000 from California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the initiative implements coordinated defensible space treatments and strategic fuel reduction across high-risk areas. The program will treat approximately 250–375 acres of hazardous vegetation, protect an estimated 22,000–34,000 habitable structures, and reduce ignition risk while improving evacuation route safety. Guided by a newly completed Regional Community Wildfire Protection Plan—developed in collaboration with local governments, fire agencies, and community stakeholders and informed by lessons from the Eaton Fire—the effort represents a scalable model for regionally coordinated, prevention-focused wildfire resilience planning that prioritizes life safety, infrastructure protection, and long-term climate adaptation.

Return of 14,000 acres of ancestral Tule River Tribe lands to conserve huge swath of diverse habitat and present Deer Creek headwaters

The Tule River Indian Tribe is acquiring the 14,000-acre Hershey Ranch in southeastern Tulare County with a $2.4 million state grant, returning ancestral homelands while achieving critical conservation goals. The former cattle ranch contains blue oak woodlands and protects the headwaters of Deer Creek, one of California’s few remaining undammed waterways, which is significant for both watershed protection and flood control given the creek’s role in 2023 flooding events.

The acquisition will reconnect ancient tribal lands by linking to adjacent conservation properties, creating wildlife corridors between the mountains and Valley floor. The project supports the tribe’s plans to reintroduce beaver and Tule elk while providing potential habitat for the recently discovered Yowlumni wolfpack. Beyond conservation, the property will offer outdoor recreational access for tribal members and disadvantaged communities, allowing important cultural and spiritual practices on ancestral lands.

This collaboration between the tribe and state agencies exemplifies how land-back movements can simultaneously advance environmental protection and historical justice. The project, expected to close by mid-2025, contributes to California’s 30×30 conservation initiative while addressing the historical dispossession of Native Americans and demonstrating the effectiveness of tribal stewardship in natural resource management. (Link)