Lake County RCD reports $2M in grants, 12‑staff expansion and new programs; seeks sustained funding

Julia Sullivan, the newly appointed executive director of the Lake County Resource Conservation District (RCD), told the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 25 that the district has substantially increased staffing and grant activity over the last year and is expanding programs in watershed restoration, sustainable agriculture, forest health and the Lake County Fire Safe Council.

Sullivan said the district’s annual budget has grown from roughly half a million dollars to about $2 million in the current fiscal year because of competitive grants and new contracts, and that the RCD now employs 12 people (seven full‑time staff pictured in RCD materials). She described a programmatic portfolio that includes wetlands restoration at Kalanipa, Middletown trailside mitigation for Caltrans, an emerging sustainable agriculture program (including Spanish‑language soil health workshops and drip irrigation tests), and an expanded forest‑health effort that pairs private landowner technical assistance with larger landscape projects and grant partnerships.

“We are building the plane as we fly it,” Sullivan told the board, describing recent hires and the organization’s plan to begin a formal strategic planning process in spring 2025.

Fire Safe Council activity and community outreach

Sullivan said the Fire Safe Council completed and closed several grants in the last year: a county coordinator program that supported Firewise outreach and emergency preparedness; a defensible‑space pilot that treated more than 100 homes after almost 300 requests; and a U.S. Forest Service coalition grant that helped fund staffing and a mobile tool‑lending program for residents. The Fire Safe Council board recently adopted a strategic plan that emphasizes coordinated messaging, resident education and expanded fuels‑reduction support.

RCD role and administrative capacity

Sullivan described the RCD’s special district status and noted that as a governmental, non‑regulatory entity the RCD can contract directly with county and state agencies to implement projects. She and board members discussed the need for continuing operations funding (grants do not always cover administrative overhead) and the recent success of grant writers and consultants who helped catalyze funding in 2023–24.

Supervisors praised growth but signaled urgency on federal funding freezes

Supervisor Paiske and others commended the RCD’s rapid growth from a lean organization into a multi‑program delivery group and emphasized the need to secure sustained funding. Supervisor Paiske and Supervisor Crandall both said federal funding delays — including freezes identified for some community wildfire defense grants — are a concern and that county leadership will press congressional staff to release obligated funds so local projects can proceed.

Next steps and coordination

Sullivan said the RCD will begin a strategic planning process this spring, will continue regional partnerships through the North Coast RCD collaborative and will explore direct contracting to implement projects when state or federal agencies hold funding but lack local implementation capacity. The board asked staff to continue coordination and to bring updates on funding and project planning back to the supervisors.