MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — Madera, Mendocino and Mono counties were added to the major disaster declaration for California’s severe storms and flooding that began on February 21, 2023.  They join the counties previously designated for Individual Assistance: Kern, Mariposa, Monterey, San Benito, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz, Tulare and Tuolumne. In addition, Amador, Butte, Del Norte, Glenn, Inyo, Madera, Modoc, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz counties are now eligible for FEMA’s Public ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District offers Valley residents the opportunity to save up to $5,000 on a new home heating and cooling system when decommissioning their fireplace and installing an electric heat pump system. The District’s Fireplace & Woodstove Change-Out program provides incentives for residents to reduce emissions from their wood burning stove or ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES – The Sierra National Forest resumed selling Personal Use Wood Cutting Permits for the April 17th through November 30th period. The North Fork and Prather Forest Service offices began selling permits on Monday April 17th. All permits will be valid only for the Sierra National Forest lands and do not include private property. The forest will be offering ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — A Disaster Recovery Center has opened at the Greeley Hill Community Center in Coulterville (see map below), where residents who were affected by the severe storms and flooding that began on February 21, 2023, can get information on disaster assistance. Those affected by the disaster can meet with recovery specialists face-to-face if they need help applying for Federal ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — The United States Small Business Administration’s and their California resource partners, such as the California Small Business Development Center (SBDC), are now offering the following services to help businesses recover from the effects of the Fork Fire, with no charge for any of the services. • Counseling for financial, accounting, marketing and other post-disaster challenges. • Management ...

AHWAHNEE — The Yosemite Gateway Prescribed Burn Cooperative (YGPBC) is coming together to assist our local non-profit, Eastern Madera County SPCA. The YGPBC is excited to be gathering to conduct a prescribed brushing and pile burn on the Eastern Madera County SPCA property adjacent to the animal care center building in Ahwahnee. The goal is to clear hazardous fuel and debris ...

By Helen Willoughby-Peck, UC Master Gardener, Mariposa County Walking in your garden every day is good for you and good for your plants. Observing your plants on a regular basis helps control pests that may be enjoying your tomatoes before you can. When caught early they are usually easy to control without insecticides or other drastic action. You can get ...

OAKHURST — How safe are you in public? How safe is your home and business? Come find out on Wednesday as the Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce, with special guests Sheriff Tyson Pogue and staff, presents a safety seminar at Yosemite Cinema in Oakhurst. You’ll learn important safety techniques on protecting yourself in public, as well as protecting your home ...

Ron Allen, UC Master Gardener, Mariposa County The Oak Fire (July 2022) devastated large parts of the ponderosa pine forest in the mountains east of Mariposa. Wooded landscapes on private properties and substantial areas of the adjoining Sierra National Forest were affected. This article explains how to plant conifer seedlings for post-fire forest restoration. The conifer plant materials for reforestation ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — American Tree Medics is deploying several strike teams which will include tree experts, medics, and military veterans to help residents prepare for the latest round of storms hitting the Central Valley and the Sierra. “In January, our office here in Merced was flooded by Black Rascal Creek, and our tree equipment was literally dead in the water,” ...