State Awards $382,008 for Mount Crossman Fuel Break Above Buckhorn and Barton

BUCKHORN, Amador County — California’s Sierra Nevada Conservancy approved $382,008 for a new wildfire fuel break near Buckhorn and Barton, one of several efforts to reduce fire risk in the Highway 88 foothills.

The state agency’s March 2026 announcement identifies the Amador Fire Safe Council as recipient. The state environmental filing describes a planned 85-acre, approximately 1.4-mile fuel break on Mount Crossman ridge, just north of Buckhorn. The shaded strip would be roughly 400 to 500 feet wide, with vegetation thinning and pruning tailored to terrain.

What the project is intended to protect

The filing names nearby residential structures, the Buckhorn and Pioneer communities, and water resources in the Mokelumne River watershed. Work would reduce dense brush and smaller vegetation that can carry fire upward into tree canopies.

Has it been completed?

Funding approval and environmental review do not prove construction is finished. The project record states what the partners proposed to do, not a completion date for each treatment area. Residents should check project updates and any temporary access restrictions from the fire-safe council.

Official sources: California CEQA Registry — Mount Crossman Project and Sierra Nevada Conservancy — March 2026 Grants.

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