NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. — Nevada County Supervisors approved the largest Good Neighbor Agreement to-date to improve critical evacuation routes and access for wildland firefighters. The Evacuation Safety Corridor and Protection Enhancement (ESCAPE) agreement will fund hazardous fuels reduction across 3,000 acres of the Tahoe National Forest over the next decade.
“This is the kind of partnership we need,” said Vice Chair Sue Hoek. “After seeing the impacts of recent fires in our communities, we know how important this work is. There is so much work to do in our forests, and I’m looking forward to seeing them healthy again and knowing our communities are safer because of the work we’re doing together.”
Backed by over $8 million in state and federal grants across seven different projects, this effort will target multiple priority locations in the 2025 Community Wildfire Protection Plan and the 2024 Evacuation Study.
Project areas include Cascade Shores, Lowell Hill Ridge, Chalk Bluff Ridge, Gaston Ridge, Cruzon Grade, Bowman Lake Road, along Highway 20, and near the Town of Washington. The goal is to improve evacuation routes, reduce hazardous vegetation and improve forest health.
“We value Nevada County’s commitment and shared responsibility when it comes to protecting our communities from wildfire,” said Deputy Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Amber Waters. “We look forward to expanding our partnership and increasing the pace and scale of the fuels reduction and forest restoration work we can accomplish together. Our partners are crucial to the delivery of the Forest Service mission.”
Work will build and extend roadside shaded fuel breaks, preserving larger trees while reducing hazardous vegetation to improve wildland firefighter access and the effectiveness of aerial retardant drops.
The agreement includes $7 million in grant funding from the National Forest Foundation (the official nonprofit of the U.S. Forest Service), $1 million in grant funding from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy for the Town of Washington Wildfire Defense Project, and $158,261 in funding from the U.S. Forest Service for ESCAPE Project maintenance.
Overall, the funding will maintain previously completed projects and launch approximately 1,700 acres of new fuel reduction work.
“The National Forest Foundation is excited to partner with Nevada County and the U.S. Forest Service for the project,” said Maggie Cummings, Central Sierra senior program coordinator. “This funding will enable critical on-the-ground work to be accomplished at an increased pace and scale, supporting the protection of communities, forest ecosystems, and watersheds from the impacts of catastrophic wildfire.”
Under the Sierra Nevada Conservancy grant, Nevada County OES will partner with the local tribally-led fuels crew of HUṠWEJ for project work.
“The HUṠWEJ stewardship crew is proud to partner on the Washington Project,” said Saxon Thomas, HUṠWEJ Council Member. “For us, incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge means looking at the landscape holistically. Through our hand thinning and piling work, we aren’t just removing hazardous fuels; we are re-establishing a resilient ecosystem based on practices that have sustained this environment for generations. This collaboration allows us to actively protect our local communities while honoring our long-standing relationship with this land.”
ESCAPE is the fourth Good Neighbor Agreement between Nevada County OES and the Tahoe National Forest, building on past partnerships that have expanded wildfire resilience efforts to nearly 4,000 acres of federal land in Nevada County.
For more information, visit: ReadyNevadaCounty.org/Escape.
About the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services (OES)
OES works under the Emergency Preparedness Board Objective, leading the community in all-hazards planning, preparedness, response, and recovery, with a focus on wildfire. OES focuses on improving countywide evacuation routes and safety, continuing to strengthen early-alert and critical communication systems, and working with residents and community partners on emergency preparedness, defensible space, home hardening, green-waste disposal, and fire-safe land stewardship. We are all in this together. Learn more about OES at ReadyNevadaCounty.org.
About the Tahoe National Forest
The Tahoe National Forest includes more than 850,000 acres of public land intermixed with approximately 350,000 acres of private land. The forest manages these lands for current and future generations, balancing a variety of uses while providing year-round recreational opportunities.
About the Sierra Nevada Conservancy
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy is a state agency tasked to improve the environmental, economic, and social well-being of California’s Sierra-Cascade region, its communities, and the people of California. Learn more at sierranevada.ca.gov.
About the National Forest Foundation
The National Forest Foundation (NFF) is the official nonprofit partner of the U.S. Forest Service and transforms America’s love of nature into action for our forests. Working across 193 million acres of National Forests and Grasslands, the NFF leads collaborative efforts that restore land and water, strengthen wildfire resilience, and expand recreation access. The NFF’s work is national in scale, local in practice, and generational in impact. Learn more at nationalforests.org.
About HUṠWEJ
HUṠWEJ (formerly California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project) is a Tribally-guided 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to preserve, protect, and perpetuate Nisenan Culture, community, and Ancestral Homelands through Cultural revitalization, land stewardship, Tribal Youth and Community Wellness initiatives, archival development, and public education. Guided by the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe, HUṠWEJ’s work is grounded in Indigenous leadership, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and reciprocal relationship with land and community, with the long-term goal of strengthening self-determination, visibility, and Cultural continuity for future generations. Learn more at huswej.org.