County vies for Rim Fire recovery funding

Excerpt from the article by Guy McCarthy

The county has been chosen as California’s sole candidate in a nationwide disaster resilience competition.  Tuolumne County’s final application, with backing from Gov. Jerry Brown, could win a badly needed cash infusion to improve forest management, promote healthier watersheds and prevent more giant forest fires in the Mother Lode. Competition organizers intend to promote risk assessment and planning, and they hope to fund “innovative resilience projects” to better prepare communities for future extreme events.

“Here in Tuolumne County, we are most assuredly fully eligible due to the magnitude of the Rim Fire and its economic consequences,” said John Buckley of the central Sierra Environmental Resource Center in Twain Harte.  “The completion, however, will judge whether the application put together by state staff and county interests ends up being compelling and convincing. “

Member of the county’s water policy advisory committee discussed the potential to bring additional millions in funding to Rim Fire recovery efforts on Thursday, and people with the Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions group met Friday to talk strategy.

For the complete article see the Union Democrat, January 26, 2015 Edition