On June 24, 2025, OAEC’s WATER Institute Co-Director, Brock Dolman, joined the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space) and a collection of experienced trainers for a wide-ranging workforce development workshop in two local preserves: Saddle Mountain Open Space Preserve (managed by Ag + Open Space) and Monan’s Rill (a community cooperative) in Sonoma County, CA. Through this workshop, which is part of the Resilient Forests and Watersheds Initiative that focuses on improving wildfire resilience while preserving ecological health, participants increased their understanding of conservation practices and fuel management.
Partner organizations in wildfire resilience such as OAEC, Sonoma Ecology Center, CAL FIRE, and Northern Sonoma County Fire District worked with Ag + Open Space, Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District, and Sonoma Resource Conservation District to train vegetation managers on proper defensible space management, plant species identification, specialized invasive species control, identification and retention of beneficial habitat features, protections for sensitive habitats, and other skills. Brock led the hands-on Fuels to Flows station, where trainees learned gully stuffing techniques that reduce fire risk, manage biomass, slow the erosion and incision of the water channel, and improve water quality.
Groups whose members took part in the training include North Bay Jobs with Justice, Conservation Corps North Bay, and Circuit Rider. Trainees received a certificate for completion of the Ecological Principles of Fuel Treatments in Sonoma County Technical Skills Training.
