Tribal Eco Restoration Alliance outlines training center, plans to train about 100 Lake County residents

The Tribal Eco Restoration Alliance (TERRA) told the Lake County Board of Supervisors at a recent meeting that it is finalizing the acquisition of a 140-acre property south of Upper Lake to serve as a training center for ecocultural stewardship and wildfire-resilience workforce development. Ben Rickleman, deputy county administrative officer, introduced the presentation and identified TERRA and its partners as recipients and subrecipients of the grant funding.

TERRA said the project is funded by Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) money that was announced to Lake County in 2023 and awarded last year through a chain of agencies: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) → California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) → the Workforce Alliance of the North Bay (the official grantee). Lindsay Dailey, executive director of the Tribal Eco Restoration Alliance, said TERRA is a subrecipient of that grant and is partnering with the Workforce Alliance of the North Bay to deliver training and supportive services.

"The focus of the grant is really to serve low- and moderate-income Lake County residents," Dailey said. She told supervisors escrow on the Highway 29 property should close soon and that the project includes an office, a large shop and engine bay for a 10-person intertribal hand crew, a gathering barn, and a native-plant nursery being started in partnership with the Big Valley Band of Pomo.

TERRA described plans to run two cohorts of a four-week ecocultural stewardship course plus two on-the-job training cohorts, with a target of training about 100 Lake County residents. Training offerings will include National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) courses, chainsaw (S-212) instruction and firefighter type 2 certificates that TERRA said can be used for employment with Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies.

Jordan Reyes, a Middletown Rancheria scribe member and field coordinator with TERRA, said the training blends Indigenous stewardship, plant ecology and hands-on wildfire-mitigation skills. "We host trainings that integrate local knowledge like plant ecology and identify how those practices support wildfire mitigation and broader ecosystem health," Reyes said.

TERRA said supportive services—transportation, childcare and gear—will be provided through its Workforce Alliance partnership so participants can attend prepared and ready for on-the-job training. Weston Seifert, a member of the Workforce Alliance of the North Bay board, praised the partnership and the alliance's role in facilitating the program for Lake County.

Speakers described agency partnerships and existing federal agreements that affect implementation. Dailey said TERRA has memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and that a recent stop-work order on a federal project was rescinded; she said TERRA currently has five years of BLM funding for project work in the county and is meeting with BLM about additional projects on Cow Mountain. TERRA also said it is seeking Community Wildfire Defense Grant funding to support beneficial burning in priority areas.

Liability for prescribed or cultural burns was raised by a public commenter during the meeting. A TERRA representative said burn plans are written and technically reviewed by state-qualified burn bosses and are submitted to a state-sponsored liability claims fund that the speaker said can cover up to $2,000,000 in third-party losses. The presentation also said TERRA has obtained insurance that covers its burn activities, which the speaker described as an important mitigation step.

Dailey said TERRA was founded in 2019, currently employs about 22 full-time staff (primarily Lake County residents) and runs an intertribal hand crew and volunteer programs. She told the board the training center will be a "living classroom" for riparian restoration, native-plant nurseries, oak woodland and grassland stewardship, and culturally significant plant propagation for projects such as the Middle Creek Restoration Project.

Board members and other officials offered to help with outreach to local high schools, colleges and fire districts. Chair Crandall praised TERRA's interagency collaboration and encouraged continued coordination with local fire agencies and schools; a supervisor offered to connect TERRA with a district high school event to recruit students.

Dailey closed by inviting supervisors and community members to visit the site once escrow closes and the training center opens. No formal action, motion or vote on the presentation was recorded during the meeting.