Podcasts & Audio Recordings
Host of Sustainability Now!, Ronnie Lipshultz, presents, “Fire, Fire on the Mountain!: New Threats to Organic Farming in California” via KSQD 90.7 FM and KSQD.org
Farming is tough enough as it is, but when farmers face the loss of organic certification due to climate-related disasters and wildfires, what can they do?
Listen in as Ronnie facilitates a discussion with Amber Schat, a Wildfire Resilience Specialist at the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, and David Obermiller, a farmer with Harvest Fields Organic Farm in Fresno County, to speak about their experience with such challenges and programs that address them.
- CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDING
In this episode we visit Cheetah Tchudi at his diversified operation in Yankee Hill, Butte County, CA. Cheetah shares his experience surviving the 2018 Paradise wildfire, and some methods for recovery; addressing toxic ash using fungi to capture and and treat persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals.
CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDING, or find it on Spotify and Apple Music!
Show Notes:
- Turkey Tail Farm Website: https://turkeytailfarm.net/v2/
- Butte Remediation: https://butteremediation.com/
- Mycoremediation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycoremediation
- NRCS Disaster Assistance: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/california/post-fire-disaster-assistance
- Ag Pass Programs: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1g94z1qn
- OSU and OSHA Programs for Stay and Defend: https://ourimpact.oregonstate.edu/story/farmers-get-handle-wildfire-prevention-osu-extension-outreach
- Cal OES Wildfire Recovery: https://wildfirerecovery.caloes.ca.gov/
- CAFF’s Wildfire Resilience Program: https://caff.org/wildfire-resilience-program/
Production Team:
- Podcast hosted by Amber Schat- Wildfire Resilience Specialist at CAFF
- Audio engineering and editing by Coby McDonald
- Music by Blue Dot Sessions
In this episode, Sarah Keiser of Wild Oat Hollow in Penngrove, CA describes her entry into ranching and how her love of the land positioned her to become a leader in developing and supporting community grazing cooperatives. Join us as Sarah shares her experience with wildfires in Sonoma County and how grazing is making a difference for regional wildfire protection and preparedness, while also working to reconnect locals with the ecology of the region and each other.
CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDING, or find it on Spotify and Apple Music!
Show Notes:
- Wild Oat Hollow Website: https://www.wildoathollow.com/
- Fibershed: https://fibershed.org/ Globetrotter Foundation: https://globetrotterfoundation.org/
- Indigenous Fire Ecologist, Peter Nelson: https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/users/754001
Soil Health and Grazing: https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/ag-topics/natural-resources-and-facilities/grazing-management/soil-health-relation-grazing - Grazing and Wildfire Risk Reduction: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190052822000177
- CAFF’s Wildfire Resilience Program: https://caff.org/wildfire-resilience-program/
Production Team:
- Podcast hosted by Amber Schat
- Audio engineering and editing by Coby McDonald
- Music by Blue Dot Sessions
- Release Date: 11/30/2022
In this episode, we travel to First Rain Farm in Nevada County, where Tim Van Wagner is integrating a number of effective wildfire preparation methods on his property, as well as those of his neighbors and surrounding community. By combining targeted ecological grazing and prescribed burns, Tim is able to rehabilitate overgrown forests in the foothills to productive foraging systems that support greater biodiversity, sequester more carbon, and improve soil health and water quality in the region- all while also reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfires.
CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDING or find it on Apple Music and Spotify!
Show Notes:
- First Rain Farm Website: https://www.firstrainfarm.com/
- John Jeavons: https://johnjeavons.org/
- Nourishing Traditions: https://nourishingtraditions.com/
- California Prescribed Burn Association: https://calpba.org/
- UC ANR Fire Resources and Information: https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/
- Brittleness Scale: https://savoryinstitute.teachable.com/courses/896826/lectures/16507356
- Land Management Regimes of Nevada County: https://www.ncrcd.org/resources-and-links/knowledge-base/agriculture-resources/
Ruminant Digestive System: https://extension.umn.edu/dairy-nutrition/ruminant-digestive-system - Fuel Moisture: http://stream1.cmatc.cn/pub/comet/FireWeather/S290Unit10FuelMoisture/comet/fire/s290/unit10/print.htm#page_1.0.0
- Smoke Exposure and Safety: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/wildfire/worker-protection-from-wildfire-smoke.html
- SB 926- Rx Burn Liability Fund: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB926
- CAFF’s Wildfire Resilience Program: https://caff.org/wildfire-resilience-program/
Production Team:
- Podcast hosted by Amber Schat- Wildfire Resilience Specialist at CAFF
- Audio engineering and editing by Coby McDonald
- Music by Blue Dot Sessions
- Release Date: 12/14/2022
Videos & Webinars
Hardening agricultural operations and creating defensible spaces are critical steps to prevent catastrophic losses during fire events.
- Science-based solutions have led to the adoption of regulations and building component safety standards, but they have primarily been focused on single-family homes and Wildland-Urban Interface residential communities.
- Additionally, they typically refer to new buildings and do not teach about fire hazards or mitigation techniques for existing structures and equipment.
- It is therefore difficult for rural and farming communities to find information tailored to non-urban homes and structures, such as barns and greenhouses, or other operating resources (water, electricity, etc.).
- This lack of information presents a high risk to these communities not only during fires, but also afterward, when they cannot return to work.
- The webinar provides farmers and rural communities with the information they need to understand how fire can reach their properties, mitigate the risk and prioritize efforts to create fire-resilient environments.
- Since the costs and time necessary for improvements can be deterring factors for many people, especially small farmers with time constraints, this presentation focuses on solutions that can be readily adopted before or during a fire event, and that could help present and future farmers prevent catastrophic losses.
- Two women-led farming operations in Santa Cruz County describe their experiences with wildfire impacts from the August 2020 CZU Lightning Complex and share tips and methods for recovery and preparedness in hopes of helping others
- “Moving Forward- Preparing for Wildfire” is a short film produced by Doriana and Jeff Hammond of West Cliff Creative, a Santa Cruz-based videography and documentary business.
- This film was made possible by a grant from the American Red Cross.
- A live, in-person screening and Q&A with the famers and videographers is in the works for mid-January, stay tuned for details!