Albany secures Coastal Conservancy grant for Albany Hill wildfire resilience and monarch habitat trial

The City of Albany will use a new Coastal Conservancy grant, in partnership with the city of El Cerrito, to begin demonstration work on Albany Hill aimed at reducing wildfire risk while improving habitat for pollinators.

Margo Cunningham, the city’s Natural Areas coordinator, told commissioners the grant will fund selective removals — roughly 25 to 50 trees on Albany Hill’s Taft side and up to 190 removals in El Cerrito — and a pilot program to plant 24 trial trees selected for monarch habitat. The project pairs vegetation management intended to reduce risks posed by dense, declining stands of eucalyptus and non‑native trees with native‑plantings, community milling workshops to repurpose felled wood, public habitat workdays and a workforce development element to train and certify the city’s urban watershed restoration crew.

“Working with the city of El Cerrito, we’ve come up with a demonstration project that involves tree removals,” Cunningham said, and added the project is meant to be repeatable by other agencies. Cunningham also highlighted monarch activity on Albany Hill and noted trial-planting locations between the Taft turnaround and just below the summit.

Commissioners asked about other funding avenues such as the Wildlife Conservation Board, Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service. Cunningham said the city applied previously to a Forest Service grant and did not receive it; staff were following up on feedback that the application did not clearly show eligibility as part of a community wildfire program and were pursuing other opportunities including an MTC priority conservation area grant and internal match funds.

Cunningham said the project includes a public outreach and education component: community milling workshops after tree felling, giveaways of milled lumber for community projects, invasive‑plant removal and native‑plant education. She also said the grant will help pay for electric or battery‑powered chainsaws and certification training so staff can conduct more vegetation management on the hill.

Commissioners and a public commenter noted recent Western Monarch counts and local tagging studies; Cunningham and the public offered to help coordinate volunteer monitoring or tagging events.

Staff described the work as an initial phase that follows the Albany Hill Forest Management and Habitat Restoration Plan approved earlier this year and said they would return with updates as grant‑funded work ramps up.