SSCRA February 2026 News
- Shasta McBride
- 21 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Introducing the new CWPP Technical Team: Carol Rice, Esther Mandeno, Stacey Frederick, and Manager of Volunteer Program Jessyca Lytle
The Cobb Mt. Community Wildfire Protection Plan project is underway! We are excited to introduce our project team.
Wildland Resource Management (WRM) Director Carol Rice has been responsible for Community Wildfire Protection Plans throughout California, including for Napa and Orange Counties, the cities of Berkeley and Napa, the Sacramento Metro Fire District, and dozens of smaller communities. She has prepared fire management plans for large landowners in areas with sensitive species and concerned communities.
WRM's GIS expert, Esther Mandeno, has decades of experience in modeling and mapping, including fire risk mapping, geo-databases of ongoing treatments and potential project sites, and a deep familiarity with available data sources to create these maps or models.
WRM team coordinator Stacey Frederick is a fire social scientist and outreach expert with over a decade in California-focused fire science. She has a deep knowledge of fire ecology and data collection methods, has been involved in California State natural resource management policy, and is skilled in translating fire science for public communication.
SSCRA Manager - CWPP Volunteer Program Jessyca Lytle. We are delighted to have Jessyca join our team. Jessyca brings a deep understanding of and involvement in the Cobb Mt. landscape and community. She was part of the original group to establish the Cobb Area Council in 2016. She manages her own 5-acre property in the Cobb Area and brings to the program a Master's in Education with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction.
SSCRA Hosts Dylan Skybrook Presentation on Impact Networks
About 40 local Cobb Mt. and Lake County partners active in community resilience and landscape stewardship gathered at the Mandala Springs Wellness and Retreat Center for a stimulating discussion on the nature, function, and value of "social impact networks", especially in the context of landscape stewardship - the kind of work that SSCRA has been involved in for the past decade. Dylan brought to the room a fascinating mix of deep "Complexity Science" theory and boots-on-the-ground experience running the Santa Cruz Mt Stewardship Network. This is a presentation we will look at a few times, take notes on, and follow up on some of the books and articles mentioned to dive deeper into this important and pioneering work.
You can watch the video of this presentation on YouTube below or HERE
Some of the books and articles copied down from the presentation:
Impact Networks, by David Erlichman
On Dialogue, by David Bohm
The Network Weaver Handbook, by June Holley
“A Leader’s Framework for Decision-Making”, by David Snowden and Mary Boone, https://www.physicianleaders.org/articles/a-leaders-framework-for-decision-making
Indirect Work: A Regenerative Change Theory for Businesses, Communities, Institutions, and Humans, by Carol Sanford
“A living system is a self-generating network within a boundary of its own making,” Fritjof Capra, https://www.fritjofcapra.net/a-conceptual-framework-for-ecological-economics-based-on-systemic-principles-of-life/
Firewise Summit April 24, 2026
Lake County Firewise Communities: From the Rivieras to a Countywide Network
Lake County’s wildfire preparedness is entering a new chapter. The movement began with four HOAs in the Rivieras and Hidden Valley Lake, but the 2015 Valley Fire sparked a second wave: a "Cobb Cluster" of six small neighborhoods. This grassroots effort became a catalyst, providing the blueprint for the 20 Firewise Communities now active across the county.
Today, the Konocti Fire Safe Council shepherds ten of these communities, and the Resource Conservation District (RCD) is about to step in as Countywide Coordinator. Our local Cobb communities, coordinated by SSCRA and including Anderson Springs, Cobb View, REMM, Seigler Springs and Loch Lomond, led the way by securing their 2026 recertifications this January.
2026 Firewise Community Summit
To celebrate this growth, community leads are invited to the 4th Annual Firewise Community Summit on April 24, 2026. This is the premier chance to sync on fire season reflections, Zone 0 updates, and insurance trends.
The Strategy of Grant Preparation
SSCRA will present a "behind-the-scenes" look at grant preparation. Beyond coordination, SSCRA acts as a fiscal sponsor for neighborhood groups and associations, providing the nonprofit infrastructure needed to manage mitigation funding. We’ll discuss how neighborhood data—like home assessments and volunteer hours—is the essential "fuel" required to qualify for and power these major grant applications.
Attendance & RSVP
Due to venue capacity, this event is tailored for Firewise leads and active volunteers.
When: April 24, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM (Lunch provided!)
RSVP: Contact John Nowell at jlnkln@aol.com for the venue.
To ensure an accurate lunch headcount and respect venue limits, please do not share these details on public social media.