Mountain Fire Resources

Our hearts go out to our community members impacted by the 2024 Mountain Fire.

VCRCD’s mission is to work with public and private land stewards to conserve and protect natural resources for current and future generations. We achieve our mission by applying for local, state, and federal grants that then allow us to implement projects which provide technical and financial assistance to our communities.

Since VCRCD is primarily funded by grants, VCRCD does not have baseline funding to reallocate towards rapid incident response.

However, VCRCD does have existing projects that may be leveraged to provide direct or indirect assistance and VCRCD does anticipate applying for grants that will provide direct relief for Mountain Fire-related expenses. 

Please find resources from VCRCD and our community partners below.

VCRCD Recovery Needs Survey

Tell us about your fire recovery needs so we can apply for funding opportunities to meet them.

Survey Linked Here

How to prepare to apply for potential opportunities with VCRCD...

  • Get a third-party to provide documentation of impacts, losses, and anticipated expenses
  • Document impacts yourself too, where possible photodocument with geotag enabled
  • Quantify the costs and expected losses from these impacts, Excel
  • Document any expenses, maintain written logs, and save receipts, where possible, digitize
  • Document assistance, specify where it came from and what it was spent on
  • Date everything to the day

Existing VCRCD Projects that may be leveraged for fire recovery

Soil Practices

HSP provides cost-share to farmers and ranchers to implement healthy soil practices, including conservation cover, cover crop, filter strip, hedgerow planting, windbreak establishment, and much more!

More information here.

PHP provides cost-share to implement pollinator habitat on agricultural landscapes, including critical area planting, wildlife habitat planting, conservation cover, and much more!

More information here.

AEWQA incentivizes the implementation of sediment, nutrient, and irrigation management practices on agricultural and equestrian operations to improve water quality.

More information here.

Irrigation Systems

Through WETA VCRCD can conduct irrigation evaluations noting problem areas and recommendations for improvement.

More information here.

AEWQA incentivizes the implementation of sediment, nutrient, and irrigation management practices on agricultural and equestrian operations to improve water quality.

More information here.

Wildfire Planning

The Wildfire Resilience Planning project provides funds for our wildfire partners to do hazard assessment mapping, support Community Wildfire Planning Projects, and assist VCRCD with the development of a Regional Prioritization Plan, all of which is designed to identify and plan for projects that mitigate future wildfire risks.
 
Please email kevin.mason@vcrcd.org for inquiries pertaining to this grant.
Formed in January 2021, the Ventura County Wildfire Collaborative leverages partnership between the Ventura County Resource Conservation District, Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council, Ojai Valley Fire Safe Council, Bell Canyon Fire Safe Council, Oak Park Fire Safe Council, Jensen Hughes, and the Ventura County Fire Department. The purpose of the Ventura County Wildfire Collaborative (Collaborative) is to increase Ventura County’s WUI communities’ ability to prepare for, withstand, respond to, and recover from wildfire by providing critical education, tools, and services.
 
If you are a landowner and were affected by the mountain fire, and you are interested in fuels reduction programs please email kevin.mason@vcrcd.org for inquiries about potential future fuels treatments or consultation. We do not currently have funding for fuels reduction, but we are actively seeking funding and are awaiting funds to begin thinning, under-burning, and pile burning to reduce fuels across Ventura County.
 
For more resources on how to fire harden your home, check out VRFSC website: Resources – Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council

Other Community Partner Resources & Forms

County information linked here.

Webpage linked here.

Post fire updates here.

Learn more about Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council’s defensible space and home hardening programs. Additionally, check out their chipping services for fuel load reduction.

List of compiled resources linked here.

CoLAB collected Disaster Resources linked here.

Reach out to CoLAB for permit streamlining assistance and for general consultations from a nonregulatory third party.

The County Planning Director, Dave Ward, has been focusing on post-fire debris removal. Contact him at (805) 654-2481 and dave.ward@ventura.org.

Hazardous waste removal program information linked here.

The Agricultural Pass Program in Ventura County provides commercial agricultural and livestock operations with access to restricted areas during or following a natural disaster.

Information on the Ag Pass program linked here.

In-Person Ag Pass class to be available in early 2025. Contact the Agriculture Weights and Measures Office at (805) 933-2926 or (805) 388-4222.

Report agricultural damages through the form linked here.

We encourage all agricultural producers impacted by the Mountain Fire to submit this report. Emergency funding availability may be contingent upon the reported impacts. The more reports received from the community the better. 

Report agricultural damages here.

We encourage all agricultural producers impacted by the Mountain Fire to submit this report. Emergency funding availability may be contingent upon the reported impacts. The more reports received from the community the better. 

Application for reassessment of property damaged by misfortune or calamity (Mountain Fire) and application for property tax installment deferral linked here.

File a claim with this non-policing office within one-year after the calamity. After submission of your application, the Ventura County Assessor’s Office will work with you individually on site.

Ag Recovery Webinar #1 Recording

Immediate Considerations featuring VC Ag Commissioner, Thomas Fire Victims (Lisa Tate and Rachael Laenen), and more.

Ag Recovery Webinar #2 Recording

Recovery Resources featuring VC Ag Commissioner, County Planning Division, USDA-FSA, VCRCD, and more.

Ag Recovery Webinar #3 Recording

Community Check In features VC Ag Commissioner, CoLAB, VC Assessor’s Office, Totally Local VC, Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council, and more.