Navigating Fire & Water: Riparian Resilience Projects

Upcoming Work Planned for Riparian Corridors

Jacqueline White

Environmental Planner

Jackie joined the Whitebark Institute in 2025 and brings nine years of experience in environmental conservation and planning. With a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, she has worked in varying capacities and is excited to bring her diverse knowledge of local ecosystems, policy and planning to Whitebark Institute. Born and raised in Mammoth Lakes and currently residing in Big Pine, Jackie spends her free time tramping, skiing, and admiring the flora and fauna in the mountains and surrounding ecosystems.

Riparian corridors, the lush, vegetated zones bordering our streams and waterways, present a complex paradox for fire management planning in the Eastern Sierra. While these corridors are among the most ecologically vibrant and sensitive landscapes in Inyo and Mono Counties, they also double as hazardous “fire carriers”. When untended, dense brush and accumulated fuels within riparian zones can draw wildfire directly toward populated towns, critical infrastructure, and delicate ecosystems. Wind, topography, and the local climate allow for this complex and unique fire pattern in the Eastern Sierra and can pose a substantial risk to the built environment as riparian corridors run through our towns. 

Historically, these zones have been excluded from traditional fuel reduction work. Environmental sensitivity, complex regulatory frameworks, and the challenges of working near water created a “treatment gap”.  

To address this critical need, a collaborative network, including the Whitebark Institute, Eastern Sierra Wildfire Alliance, Eastern Sierra Council of Governments, Fort Independence Tribe, CAL FIRE, Mono County, and the Riparian Resilience Working Group, s implementing a suite of targeted riparian fuel reduction projects across Inyo and Mono Counties.  

Targeted Priority Projects 

Identified as top-priority work in both the Inyo and Mono County Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), these initiatives span multiple jurisdictions to deliver community-level resilience and ecosystem restoration:  

• Bishop Riparian Resilience Project (Inyo County | 92 Acres): The largest site focuses on LADWP-owned riparian corridors along Mumy Lane, Reata Road, Underwood Lane, South 3rd Street, and People’s Park. It reduces fuel loads protecting Bishop residents, local businesses, and infrastructure across State and Local Responsibility Areas.  

• Walker Riparian Resilience Project (Mono County | 66 Acres): Situated along the West Walker River on County-owned land, this project uses manual vegetation removal and upland treatments, including potential prescribed herbivory (targeted livestock grazing), to reduce wildfire threat while preserving habitat function.  

• Fort Independence Riparian Resilience Project (Inyo County | 33 Acres): Focuses on manual and mechanical vegetation management along water diversions from Oak Creek on the Fort Independence Reservation.  

• Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL) Project (Mono County | 35 Acres): Works to improve the resiliency of the University of California’s renowned research facility along Convict Creek. Treatments establish a 100-foot defensible space perimeter around research infrastructure and reduce corridor fuel loads to support fire suppression efforts if warranted.  

• Sunny Slopes Riparian Resilience Project (Mono County | 32 Acres): Targets LADWP-owned lands along Rock Creek and Lower Rock Creek to reduce fuel loading in the nearby residential community.  

Balanced Treatments & Strict Environmental Safeguards 

Every project follows the Statewide Fuels Reduction Environmental Protection Plan to ensure fire hazard reduction works in harmony with ecological health:  

1. Targeted Methods: Work relies on hand crews in sensitive areas to clear non-native ladder fuels and dead/down material, while ground-based machinery (masticators, chippers) is restricted to upland areas and existing roads.  

2. Watercourse Buffers: Perennial streams receive a strict 100-foot exclusion buffer for mechanical equipment, while intermittent streams receive a 50-foot buffer. No material is removed directly from channels.  

3. Vegetation & Canopy Retention: Treatments preserve at least 75% of the native overstory and 50% of the native understory within 100 feet of perennial channels, protecting ecological functions and shade canopy.  

4. Air Quality & Material Management: Chipping depth is capped at an average of 2 inches, and all pile or curtain burning occurs strictly in upland zones under approved Smoke Management Plans from the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District.  

Explore the Full Interactive Map & Details 

These projects establish a proactive model for multi-jurisdictional watershed stewardship across the Eastern Sierra. Preliminary implementation of the Riparian Resilience is scheduled to begin this Fall. For interactive maps, project timelines, and in-depth breakdowns of each site, explore the complete ArcGIS StoryMap Project Details.