MARIPOSA FIRE SAFE COUNCIL
Your Small Town Non-Profit Serving the County at Large
Our Work
The Mariposa Fire Safe Council works hand in hand with landowners, local agencies, and community partners to reduce wildfire risk and protect lives, property, and natural resources throughout Mariposa County. Through years of planning and collaboration, we have developed and maintained strategic fuel breaks that serve as vital community protection zones, creating buffers between neighborhoods and wildlands, slowing fire spread, and improving firefighter access. These projects connect across ridgelines and roadways to strengthen the county’s overall wildfire resilience. Each fuel break represents thousands of hours of coordination, on-the-ground labor, and stewardship, while partnering with local contractors to keep our economy strong and our work deeply rooted in Mariposa.
Stumpfield Mountain Road Fuel Break
Funded by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) through the California Climate Investments Fire Prevention Grants Program, this project strengthens wildfire protection in southern Mariposa County. Originally created by the Mariposa Fire Safe Council in 2008, the Stumpfield Mountain Road Fuel Break was retreated in 2020 and is currently seeking additional funding for ongoing maintenance. The project spans approximately six miles along Stumpfield Mountain Road, from Highway 49 South to the northern boundary of the Maria Wilson Indian Allotment, and along Watt Road to the eastern boundary of Salt Springs. Treating an estimated 275 acres, this 300-foot-wide shaded fuel break improves firefighter access, slows potential fire spread, and enhances community safety while supporting local jobs and contractors within Mariposa County. This corridor lies within the footprint of the historic 1961 Harlow Fire, which burned over 40,000 acres and devastated nearby communities, underscoring the lasting importance of maintaining these critical fuel breaks to protect lives and property.
Chamberlain Bear Creek Fuel Reduction Project
Completed in 2018, this project was funded by CAL FIRE through the California Climate Investments Fire Prevention Grants Program. The Mariposa Fire Safe Council created a shaded fuel break along Chamberlain Road from Highway 140 to Oak Road, treating nearly 97 acres to protect more than 9,500 acres and 575 homes in the Midpines area. The work removed hazardous fuels, cleared debris from waterways to reduce erosion, and improved access for residents and firefighters on this narrow route. Located in a region impacted by the Telegraph, Carstens, and Detwiler fires, the project strengthened wildfire resilience and safeguarded the Bear Creek watershed, a key tributary of the Wild and Scenic Merced River.
Foran Fuel Reduction
Completed through a partnership between the Mariposa Fire Safe Council and homeowners along Foran Road and Pennyroyal Lane in the Midpines community, this project created a strategic fuel break to strengthen fire protection and improve safe ingress and egress routes. The work provided roadside brushing and expanded defensible space for hundreds of private residences, PG&E power lines, the Stockton Creek Watershed, and the Saxon Creek Water Pumping Project. Located just two miles from the town of Mariposa, the project area ties directly into CAL FIRE’s proposed Midpines/Mt. Bullion Fuel Break identified in the 2019 MMU Strategic Plan.
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This region has a long history of destructive wildfires and tragic firefighter losses, including the 1962 Jerseydale Fire and the 2018 Ferguson Fire. The Foran Fuel Reduction Project helps reduce fuel loads that have accumulated for decades, protecting critical infrastructure and the community at large while preserving the safety of both residents and firefighters.
Alta Vista Fuel Break
The Alta Vista Fuel Break project, funded by CAL FIRE through the California Climate Investments Fire Prevention Grants Program, strengthens wildfire defense for the town of Mariposa and the Midpines community. Spanning approximately 6.5 miles and 315 acres along the Alta Vista Ridgeline, this east-to-west corridor begins near State Route 140 just outside Mariposa and extends to the CAL FIRE Mt. Bullion Conservation Camp, where it directly connects to the Bullion Ridge Fuel Break. Together, these two projects form a continuous 14-mile shaded fuel break system designed to protect thousands of homes, major evacuation routes, and essential infrastructure throughout central Mariposa County.
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The project directly protects the communications and broadcasting towers atop Mt. Bullion Knob and key ingress and egress routes along East and West Whitlock Roads. It also provides critical fire defense for more than 1,600 homes within Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. In 2022, the Alta Vista Fuel Break played a vital role in helping firefighters stop the advance of the French Fire before it reached the town of Mariposa, proving the importance of proactive, landscape-scale fuel reduction. By reducing ladder fuels and restoring forest health, the Alta Vista and Bullion Ridge Fuel Breaks work together to enhance community safety, improve suppression effectiveness, and protect the natural and built environments that define Mariposa County.
Bullion Ridge Fuel Break
Funded by CAL FIRE through the California Climate Investments Fire Prevention Grants Program, the Bullion Ridge Fuel Break is part of the larger Unit Wide Fuel Break Master Plan identified in the CAL FIRE MMU Strategic Plan. Located along the Bullion Mountain ridgeline near Mt. Bullion Ridge Road in Mariposa County, this 7.5-mile shaded fuel break covers approximately 281 acres. The project begins near the intersection of Mt. Bullion Access Road and Mt. Bullion Ridge Road—just north of the CAL FIRE Mt. Bullion Conservation Camp, and extends northwest to the Merced River, paralleling Highway 49 and protecting the surrounding communities of Mt. Bullion, Mariposa, Bear Valley, Hunters Valley, and Midpines.
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The Bullion Ridge Fuel Break directly connects to the Alta Vista Fuel Break, together forming a continuous 14-mile strategic fire defense system. This corridor strengthens community protection for more than 1,700 homes and key infrastructure while improving firefighter access and containment options. By removing dense ladder fuels and thinning overgrown vegetation, the project enhances forest health, safeguards major evacuation routes, and provides critical defense for the Mariposa County seat and nearby mountain communities.
Wagner Ridge Fuel Break Project
Funded through the Sierra Nevada Conservancy’s Forest Health Grant Program under the State of California Budget Act of 2020, the Wagner Ridge Fuel Break Project strengthens wildfire resilience along the northern boundary of Mariposa County near the communities of Greeley Hill and Coulterville. The Mariposa Fire Safe Council treated 213 acres across Stanislaus National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands, expanding and widening an existing fuel break that connects with the National Disaster Resiliency Competition projects on the Tuolumne County side of the ridge.
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Located along the watershed divide between the Merced and Tuolumne Rivers, this project was identified as a high priority in multiple regional fuel management plans and through the South-West Interface Team collaborative (SWIFT). Treatments included mechanical mastication and hand thinning to remove surface and ladder fuels, creating a shaded fuel break that improves fire suppression operations and strengthens forest structure. The project also supports watershed protection for downstream users including the Merced, Turlock, and Modesto Irrigation Districts that manage Lake McClure and Don Pedro Reservoirs.
Lushmeadows Ladder Fuel Project - Phase One
The Lushmeadows Ladder Fuels Project – Phase One was created to protect homes and families in the Lushmeadows Mountain Estates area by reducing dangerous wildfire fuel buildup. Funded by CAL FIRE through the California Climate Investments Fire Prevention Grants Program, this project focused on removing dense brush, dead and dying trees, and heavy undergrowth that can cause fires to climb quickly into tree canopies and spread from house to house.
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Lushmeadows is one of Mariposa County’s most at-risk communities for wildfire, identified as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Recent fires, including the 2022 Oak Fire that stopped just a quarter mile from the subdivision and the 2018 Ferguson Fire less than a mile away, highlighted the need for strong, proactive protection.
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Working with skilled local contractors, the Mariposa Fire Safe Council treated about 160 acres across 99 parcels, improving defensible space around hundreds of homes. Using a mix of mechanical equipment and hand crews, vegetation was thinned, ladder fuels were removed, and trees were carefully pruned to restore a healthier forest canopy. This work reduces the intensity of future fires, helps firefighters defend the neighborhood more safely, and protects nearly 1,000 homes within the Lushmeadows community.
Bumguardner Ridge Fuel Break
Completed during 2024–2025, the Bumguardner Ridge Fuel Break was funded by CAL FIRE through the California Climate Investments Fire Prevention Grants Program to strengthen wildfire protection for the town of Mariposa and surrounding communities. The project established a 3.4-mile shaded fuel break along the Bumguardner Ridgeline, beginning near State Route 140 at the entrance to town and running parallel to Highway 49 before ending near the Mariposa County Landfill. Covering approximately 130 acres, the project directly protects more than 1,800 homes and critical county infrastructure, including the CAL FIRE MMU Headquarters, Mariposa County Fire Headquarters and Training Academy, and nearby government facilities.
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This ridge overlooks the county’s main evacuation corridor for Mariposa and Yosemite National Park. By thinning dense vegetation and removing ladder fuels, the fuel break created a vital defensive line that allows firefighters to safely operate, conduct backfires, and slow advancing flames before they reach downtown. The work also improves air operations, providing clearer and safer areas for retardant drops.
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The Bumguardner Ridge area contained thick stands of chaparral, live oak, manzanita, and ponderosa pine, vegetation known to produce fast-moving, high-intensity fires. Through this project, the Mariposa Fire Safe Council and its local contractors significantly reduced those hazards, improved containment opportunities, and increased community safety for nearly one-quarter of Mariposa County’s residents. This project creates a larger network of protection around the Mariposa town center.
Fremont Fuel Reduction Project
The Fremont Fuel Reduction Project focuses on protecting some of the most important places in our community, including John C. Fremont Hospital, Mariposa County’s only hospital and skilled nursing facility. Funded by CAL FIRE through the California Climate Investments Fire Prevention Grants Program, this project will treat 66 acres of overgrown vegetation surrounding the hospital campus, the MACT Indian Health Clinic, the County Health and Human Services buildings, the Senior Center, and the CAL FIRE MMU Headquarters.
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This area faces significant wildfire risk due to dense brush, dead trees, and nearby unmanaged lands. A small fire in 2023 started close to this area and served as a reminder of how quickly a situation could become dangerous. Once work begins, crews will thin brush, remove ladder fuels, and clear defensible space to create a strong buffer that protects critical infrastructure and the lives of residents who depend on these services.
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The project will also improve safety along Highway 140, Mariposa County’s main evacuation and travel route to Yosemite National Park. We have not yet received CEQA clearance for this project, but once approval is granted and weather conditions are right, we’ll be ready to hit the ground running. Through partnerships with local contractors, this project will reduce wildfire danger, protect vital community resources, and support local jobs, strengthening the safety and resilience of Mariposa County.
Pegleg Fuel Reduction Project
Set to be completed in the fall of 2025, the Peg Leg Fuel Reduction Project is a partnership between the Mariposa Fire Safe Council and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) through PG&E’s Fuel Reduction Grant Program. The project focused on clearing hazardous vegetation along critical ingress and egress routes beneath and near overhead transmission lines in high-risk wildfire areas of Mariposa County.
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This work reduces the potential for downed or damaged power lines to ignite wildfires and created safer evacuation and access routes for residents, firefighters, and utility crews. Crews are removing dense brush, thinned overgrown vegetation, and chipped debris to establish clear, shaded corridors that improve visibility and accessibility during an emergency.
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All work was planned and completed by the Mariposa Fire Safe Council using local contractors, supporting both public safety and the local economy. Funded by PG&E, the Peg Leg Fuel Reduction Project reflects a shared commitment to protecting our community, reducing wildfire hazards, and maintaining safe utility corridors throughout Mariposa County.