Upcoming Events
Free Vegeation Drop Off at the Ben Lomond Transfer Station every Sat in August!
To support wildfire preparedness and home hardening efforts, the Community Development & Infrastructure Department, in collaboration with Supervisor Monica Martinez, will offer no-cost yard waste disposal from residents of San Lorenzo Valley and the unincorporated area of Scotts Valley every Saturday in August at the Ben Lomond Transfer Station. This program is intended to support vegetation management and defensible space in high-risk areas.
When: Every Saturday in August
Where: Ben Lomond Transfer Station
Who: Available to District 5 residents living in unincorporated areas (proof of residency required).
No appointment necessary.
Two tons maximum per load.
Standard yard waste restrictions apply.
If someone else is hauling your yard waste, a signed affidavit is required for each load. Forms will be collected and verified on-site. Abuse of the affidavit system may result in loss of the fee waiver.
Visit bit.ly/freeyardwaste to download the printable bilingual affidavit form or to see a list of locations where you can obtain paper copies.
To learn more, please visit the county webpage for the program.
Recent Past Events
China Grade Firewise work party: Our first neighborhood work party was a wonderful success!
Firewise in the 4th of July Parade: Residents from China Grade, Sunbeam Woods, Fall Creek, Brook Lomond, and Bear Creek Estates joined together to represent Firewise!
2nd Annual Firewise Festival: Residents from SLV and across the Santa Cruz Mountains came together on May 17 for the Firewise Festival at Roaring Camp, hosted by Felton's Forest Lakes Firewise.
China Grade Firewise Spring Meeting 2025: Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in our Spring Meeting for 2025! The meeting recording, presentation, and list of links are included below.
Central Coast Good Fire Faire: October 5 at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, 10AM-3PM. This community event was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about how, where, and why good fire is applied to help lower our future wildfire risk. There were also booths with resources to learn how to increase your home's resilience to wildfire, educational demonstrations, food trucks, kids' activities, and more!
Meet the SLV Fire Chiefs: October 3, 6:00-8:00PM at the Zayante Fire Station. This forum was a fantastic opportunity for the community to meet with the San Lorenzo Valley Fire Chiefs to hear important updates from them on key topics, discuss local issues, and to ask them all our fire-related questions. Organized by the San Lorenzo Valley Firewise Community, this event aimed to foster increased communication and collaboration between the community and the local Fire Protection Districts, and increased neighborhood engagement towards reducing regional wildfire risk. Light refreshments were served.