The California Climate Action Corps fellows at the Santa Monica Mountains Fire Safe Council held their final GSOB survey day at Cheeseboro Canyon on June 6th. This completes the spring BLITZ and we hope to hold more surveys in the future to continue monitoring for GSOB.

On Saturday, May 16, community members came out to the Malibu Forestry Unit to learn more from local organizations about wildfire resiliency. This event featured the newly completed Wildfire Learning Center and Defensible Space Demonstration Garden, screen printing, acorn art, and the winners of our Student Art Contest.

100+ regional Firewise leaders came out to the Calabasas Community Center on Saturday, May 9 for the Firewise Leadership Workshop, co-hosted by SMMFSC and Calabasas Firewise. SMMFSC's own Pauline Allen moderated a panel about Defensible Space and Fire-Safe Planting.

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Throughout the spring, we had over 30 volunteers come out to the Wildfire Learning Center to help plant over 1,000 native plants in the demonstration garden! The garden now contains a diverse meadow! The garden is used to show community members proper defensible space using native, fire-resistant plants. ​

SMMFSC joined the community in supporting the Pile Burn in Topanga. This was a successful prescribed fire treatment that reduced hazardous fuels. This was a great step in the right direction for fuel reduction and wildfire safety in southern California. ​

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SMMFSC hosted a community workday with the Westlake Pointe FireWise community. With twenty people coming out in the heat to help clear hazardous debris, we were able to completely fill a 40 yard dumpster! We want to thank all the passionate volunteers that helped make a difference in this community!

CCAC hosted an in-person GSOB training session with partners Wen Wang from LA Country Fire-Forestry Division and Rachel Burnap from LA County Agricultural Commissioner Weights and Measures. Watch the recorded virtual session by Rachel Burnap and review the slides presented by Wen Wang here.

We hosted our first round of Wildfire Cafés this spring. The virtual and in-person event at Getty Villa provided a meaningful space for the community to connect, reflect, and heal together one year after the 2025 fires. We hope to continue hosting these gatherings in the future!

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SMMFSC was honored with the Environmental Program of the Year award at Assembly District 42 Community Excellence Awards event and the “Where the Mountains Meet the Sea” Student Art Show.

The award was to celebrate the leadership and the impact of SMMFSC's work in environmental and wildfire resilience programs.