TinderSmart Tehama: Defensible Space Assistance

Defensible Space is a 100 foot buffer surrounding a home or other building that slows or stops the spread of wildfire. It helps protect your home and neighboring structures from direct flame contact or radiant heat ignition. It also improves protection for fire personnel defending your property.

TCF developed the TinderSmart Tehama's Defensible Space Assistance  to help Tehama County citizens who are unable to create the required defensible space surrounding their home, at no additional cost.

The TinderSmart Tehama Program has expanded into a suite of wildfire readiness offerings through the Resource Conservation District of Tehama County. To learn more about forest and fuels management services and activities, visit the RCDTC website.

Wild & Scenic® Film Festival On–Tour Red Bluff

Postponed Until 2025

Each year the Tehama Conservation Fund (TCF) hosts a community celebration, the Wild & Scenic® On-Tour Red Bluff. This event provides a unique opportunity for us to connect with you all and share in our mutual appreciation for the great outdoors through film. Unfortunately, the event set for March 8, 2024, has been postponed until 2025. It was a difficult decision to postpone but necessary as we relocate the office. After decades spent in our current office space, we will be at a new temporary office by early March. We look forward to next year, as Spring 2025 will mark TCF’s 10th year hosting this event.

We’re available at the same phone number. Our new mailing address is PO Box #1232 Red Bluff, CA 96080. We appreciate your understanding and are excited to make the most of the changes and prospects ahead of us!

Burrows Conservationist of the Year

Supporting wildlife and our way-of-life is something that the late, great Bill Burrows regularly talked about. As a local rancher, outdoorsman, instructor in the Shasta College Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources for 34 years, and longtime Resource Conservation District of Tehama County associate director, Bill was passionate about integrated farming and ranching practices. He believed that all land management decisions should be dedicated to the social, financial, and environmental enhancement of our community. He understood that private and public parties should work together for mutual benefit. We think that Bill would be delighted to know that a local steward would receive an award in his honor, annually.

2023: Dawn Pedersen, CAL FIRE Tehama-Glenn Unit

2022: Jeff Souza, Tehama Environmental Solutions, Inc.

2021: Tyler Christensen, Edward’s Ranch

2020: Ryan Sale, Sale Orchards

2019: Kay Burrows, Burrows Ranch

Youth Programs

K-6th Grade Teachers – Are you ready to boost environmental literacy in your classroom? We can help incorporate Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into your curriculum and conduct hands-on NGSS activities with your students. NGSS are a set of science standards using a three-dimensional learning model that improves science education by identifying scientific and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas that help students build a comprehensive understanding of science and prepare them for success. Contact Brin for details at 530-727-1295.

• Milkweed, Monarchs, Migration & Me: A 2-session pollinator educational experience including interactive PowerPoint presentations, artwork, games, and planting nearly 20 milkweed plugs.
• Hands-On Habitat: Summer activity workshop engaging youth in our natural world through interactive presentations, guest speakers, and an opportunity to build their own habitat models.
• Outdoor Galore: In partnership with the Resource Conservation District of Tehama County, the TCF supports the series of natural world-themed exploratory kits for Tehama County youth age 8 and up. Each kit is free and contains different nature-based, hands-on activities that encourage outdoor exploration at their own pace.

Conservation Conversations

TCF facilitates public, interactive Conservation Conversations to connect citizens with natural resource experts. Meaningful exchange of information between residents and experts helps ensure that the same information is accessible to all. Past themes include drought and the natural history of the Sacramento River corridor.

Farm Table Dinners

TCF has contributed educational insight during Tehama Together and the Tehama Community Food Alliance’s farm table dinner series. TCF presents information to help foster a connection between stewardship, food producers, and consumers. Showcasing producers as land stewards that meet their own needs while optimizing natural assets that occur on their property is of value across the food supply chain.

Carbon Farm Planning

The TCF was awarded $12,000 from Patagonia to implement Carbon on the Range, a Carbon Farm Planning Process for Tehama County ranchers. A rancher recruiting campaign, rancher selection criteria, and a selection committee were developed. Members of the Selection Committee included representatives of USDA’s NRCS, Point Blue Conservation Science, and the RCDTC, of which one rancher was selected as best fit for the program. Eight applications were received from agricultural producers to participate in this inaugural program. TCF hopes to provide the same CFP service to all applicants in the near future.

A Carbon Farm Plan was produced in collaboration with the rancher that serves as a guidance document for the producer to meet their natural resource management goals while supporting productive lands, wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration. The Plan features recommended Carbon Farm practices that have the greatest potential for atmospheric carbon capture on their landscape as calculated by COMET-Planner and COMET-Farm online tools.