The Nevada County Resource Conservation District (NCRCD) in partnership with the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services (OES) and Vestra Resources Inc. encourages landowners within the footprint of the Lower Deer Creek – Penn Valley Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project to participate in Phase 1 of the project. Residents can quickly determine whether their parcel is included in the project area by visiting the interactive map of the project area available on the project website at ReadyNevadaCounty.org/LowerDeerCreek.
Phase 1 of the project consists of the biological, cultural, and wildlife surveys required for environmental compliance as well as the treatment design that will guide hazardous fuels reduction in Phase 2. The 1,011-acre initiative is funded by a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program award secured by OES and comes at no cost to participating landowners. The NCRCD is partnering with OES to manage the project and educate landowners about benefits of fuels management while Vestra is leading environmental compliance and treatment design
The Lower Deer Creek – Penn Valley Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project is designed to help protect lives, homes, and essential infrastructure. The success of the project hinges on broad participation from local landowners as wildfire resilience is not built by agencies alone, it is built by communities.
A Project Built to Protect the Community
The project focuses on reducing hazardous vegetation in areas that pose the highest wildfire and evacuation risks. When complete, it will:
- Treat 107 acres surrounding critical sanitation and water treatment facilities
- Mitigate 726 acres of roadside vegetation along key evacuation corridors
- Reduce fuel loading across 178 acres in and around the Deer Creek Canyon
Treatments are strategically designed to help slow extreme wildfire behavior, protect essential infrastructure, and create safer routes for both evacuating residents and incoming first responders.
Why This Area—and This Moment—Matters
The project centers on neighborhoods adjacent to the Lake Wildwood community, identified in the 2024 Evacuation Study as one of the five most evacuation-limited communities in Nevada County. With narrow roads, dense vegetation, and high residential density, the area faces elevated risk during fast-moving wildfire events.
Fuel reduction work will focus heavily on private parcels along Pleasant Valley Road, Mooney Flat Road, and Bitney Springs Road—primary arteries that thousands of residents rely on during an evacuation.
The project will unfold in two phases:
Phase I – Planning (18 months)
- Community engagement
- Collection of Right-of-Entry (ROE) forms
- Environmental compliance surveys
- Treatment design
Phase II – Implementation (18 months)
- Hazardous fuels reduction
- Onsite biomass disposal
- Long-term maintenance planning
This project is fully funded and comes at no cost to landowners.
Why Your Participation Is Essential
More than 520 parcels are included in the project area, and on-the-ground work cannot proceed without signed ROE forms from participating landowners during Phase 1. The ROE forms grant temporary access to private property to perform necessary botanical, wildlife, and cultural surveys. Landowners will be notified prior to access. Prior to the initiation of Phase 2 implementation landowners will be asked to sign a second ROE agreeing to hazardous vegetation removal activities.
How to Participate
Residents can quickly determine whether their parcel is included in the project area by visiting the interactive map of the project area available on the project website: ReadyNevadaCounty.org/LowerDeerCreek
If your property is included in this project, the next step is simple:
- Download and print the Right-of-Entry form from the Project Webpage: ReadyNevadaCounty.org/LowerDeerCreek
- Sign and return via email or mail to:
Email: nate.alcorn@ncrcd.org
Mail:
Nevada County OES ATTN: Brittany Beech 950 Maidu Ave.
Nevada City, CA 95959
Every ROE form returned strengthens the safety of the entire region. By signing and returning ROE forms, landowners are not just granting access—they are actively shaping a safer future for themselves, their neighbors, and the broader Penn Valley region.
A High-Impact Investment in Community Safety
The project aligns with multiple countywide priorities:
- Identified as a Priority Community in the 2024 Evacuation Study
- Designated a Project Priority Area in the 2025 Community Wildfire Protection Plan
- Supports and leverages the work of 13 Firewise Communities
- Reduces wildfire risk for 3,235 parcels within a two-mile radius
- Provides protection for five communities in the Lower Deer Creek corridor
Learn more at the Project Town Hall on February 19, 2026
What: The public is invited to learn more by attending the Lower Deer Creek – Penn Valley Town Hall:
When: Thursday, February 19th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Penn Valley Fire Protection District Headquarters, 10513 Spenceville Rd, Penn Valley, CA 95946
To find out if your parcel is in the project area, view maps, get more information, and download the Right of Entry form:Lower Deer Creek-Penn Valley Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project | Nevada County, CA
