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Through the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration project, Cathy Koos Brezeal helps people who help forests in California. © TNC Staff

“The Amador Calaveras Cornerstone CFLR is a critical tool for protecting our communities while restoring habitat, protecting critical water resources, and creating jobs.“ Cathy Koos Breazeal

Cathy Koos Breazeal, executive director of the Amador Fire Safe Council, has called the west slope of the Sierra Nevada home for the past 25 years.

“Our climate is fabulous here, with four distinct seasons and hiking and kayaking just up the road,” says Cathy, who is an avid hiker, writer, backroad explorer, fiber artist, and volunteer firefighter/EMT.

“I work from home and love looking out my window and seeing trees, birds, hares, and the occasional bear or mountain lion,” Cathy continues.

Cathy manages and directs grants from a variety of funding sources to further the Fire Safe Council’s mission to protect the people of Amador County from the catastrophic effects of wildland fire. As a member of the Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group, Cathy helped research and develop the ACCG’s Cornerstone Project, selected by the U.S. Forest Service for funding under the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration program in 2012.

The Amador-Calaveras is the headwaters to four major rivers critical to water-users in central California: the Stanislaus, Calaveras, Mokelumne, and Consumnes. The Mokelumne drainage alone provides municipal water for more than 1.4 million East Bay area residents. The region is also home to rare wildlife species, including American marten, California Spotted owl, and willow flycatcher.

“The Amador Calaveras Cornerstone CFLR is a critical tool for protecting our communities while restoring habitat, protecting critical water resources, and creating jobs,“ Koos Breazeal said. “It’s putting people to work on fuel reduction, meadow restoration and other critical projects that complement and benefit the Fire Safe Council’s work.”