Patagonia’s risk of wildfire is higher than 98% of the U.S., according to the U.S. Forest Service’s wildfirerisk.org website, which rates Patagonia’s risk as Very High, both in terms of wildfire likelihood and risk-to-homes consequences. The risk level is already affecting home insurance rates and availability.
For towns in dry rural settings like Patagonia, wildfire risk reduction needs a community-wide approach. Luckily, there is some new muscle and money to get a co-developed, community-focused program for fuels reduction and firewise resiliency off the ground in Patagonia.
The Tucson Bird Alliance (TBA, formerly Tucson Audubon Society) has won a Community Wildfire Defense Grant in the amount of $2.3 million over five years for its Patagonia Roadside Hazardous Fuels Management program.
The initial focus, starting this winter, will be to reduce the threat of fire driven by prevailing southwest winds. Working with Chief Zay Hartigan and Patagonia Volunteer Fire & Rescue (PVFR), Aaron Mrotek’s team at The Nature Conservancy’s Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, and the Town of Patagonia, TBA is planning to create a fire break along the south end of town between the Patton Hummingbird Center, TNC Preserve, the water treatment plant and cemetery trail.
Beyond that, TBA’s priority is to reduce fuels along roads and on properties in general, by cutting tall grass and removing dead trees and branches. This will slow progress if a fire were to occur, and help preserve escape routes.
The TBA grant managers are eager to get input and participation from Patagonia residents and area landowners to help figure out exactly where and how fuel reduction should best occur. The grant can cover work done on private property if owners want to participate. The more land that is cluded, the more comprehensive and safer the risk-reduction outcomes will be for the whole area.
In fact, community input has been built into the project from the beginning, starting in April, 2024, when researchers Travis Paveglio from the University of Idaho and Cat Edgeley from Northern Arizona University interviewed 54 Patagonia residents and professionals about local fire risk awareness and interest in mitigation efforts. They returned in April, 2025 with Jay Snowdon of TBA to host a public informational meeting. Paveglio and Edgeley then held five focus groups attended by 69 residents who shared suggestions for a successful project rollout.
The focus groups recommended that local representatives, along with fire management experts, be involved in mapping where and what kinds of mitigation options are most feasible and desirable across the landscape. As Paveglio and Edgeley emphasized, community values come into play, too, such as prioritizing wildlife habitat in some areas, fuel reduction in others, and preserving watershed health all around. Involved residents could speak to these factors, and identify potential actions for various locations based on their detailed local knowledge.
Another focus group recommendation was to build broad public understanding of fire mitigation options through public education, and by showcasing examples of treated properties. Once people can envision more clearly what fuels reduction could look like on their property, they may choose to get involved.
Tony Figueroa, acting program coordinator for Tucson Bird Alliance, is eager to talk to landowners who are interested in participating in fuel reduction efforts. “If you look at your landscape and see fire risk, like tall grasses and downed trees, we’d love to have a meeting with you to discuss options,” Figueroa said. “We’re here to help mitigate risk in the entire area.” If included in the grant plan, the work can be done at no cost to residents.
Overall, this Community Wildfire Defense Grant is a chance to jumpstart momentum for Patagonia’s wildfire safety and resilience. Focus group participants noted that enthusiastic community imagination and participation in the grant program could generate broad benefits, including building PVFR resources, making “firewise” safety improvements possible for more homeowners, and providing jobs and training for residents to get the work done.
The focus groups also recognized that if Patagonia area residents can show that they’re seriously taking action to reduce fire risk, then future funding to sustain that progress, perhaps from county, state and corporate entities, would be more likely.
No guarantees, but it might even help mitigate the home insurance crisis.
For now, the first steps are underway. “This is the time that we want community members to contact us if they have lands they think would be good for fuel reduction,” TBA’s Figueroa said. Residents can contact Tony Figueroa at TFigueroa@tucsonbirds.org