Region Seven
Eastern Sierra
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Lead
ESCOG is a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) agency made up of the following member agencies: City of Bishop, the Town of Mammoth Lakes, Inyo County, and Mono County. The ESCOG coordinates regional planning and economic development efforts throughout the Eastern Sierra, working cooperatively with local, state and federal partners to support community development, economic diversification, sustainable recreation, ecosystem management and climate resiliency for a more prosperous, sustainable, and resilient region. The ESCOG is empowered to work across jurisdictional boundaries by the Sustainable Recreation and Ecosystem Management Program, the Community Economic Resiliency Fund Pilot Program and the Inyo Mono Broadband Consortium Program, which were adopted by the resolution of all four member agencies.
Co-Facilitators
CLERE Inc is a consulting air district general counsel for Placer County and consulting bioenergy expert.
Stacy Corless Consulting brings people together to turn good ideas into on-the-ground results. Services include community engagement, collaborative planning, policy and governmental affairs
Point of Contact:
Elaine Kabala, ESCOG Executive Director
ekabala@escog.ca.gov
Mission
Position the Eastern Sierra Council of Governments (a four-member Joint Powers Authority formed by the City of Bishop, Inyo County, Mono County, Town of Mammoth Lakes) to lead regional biomass utilization development in Inyo and Mono Counties. ESCOG will convene stakeholders and partners on the opportunities for biomass utilization.
As planning and implementation for fuels reduction and community defense projects ramp up across the Eastern Sierra, there is heightened need and interest in biomass utilization. ESCOG’s engagement in biomass utilization development supports both regional wildfire resilience and economic development, both priorities for its member agencies and partners such as the Inyo National Forest. This aligns with and provides synergistic opportunities alongside other ESCOG projects, such as California Jobs First and the Eastern Sierra Pace and Scale Accelerator. Many of the specific recommendations and ideas that emerged from a series of meetings in summer and fall 2025 are contingent on funding, which the ESCOG board supports pursuing along with regional partners in the Eastern Sierra Wildfire Alliance.
The primary short-term recommendation is for ESCOG to continue its leadership role in the Eastern Sierra Wildfire Alliance and through that role (leaning into efficiencies and shared interests of fellow ESWA partners) continue bringing biomass partners together to share information.
Key Takeaways
“We are beyond yes” – Mono County Supervisor/ESCOG Board Member Paul McFarland
“We have to look at this from a regional perspective” – Inyo County Supervisor/ESCOG Board Member Trina Orrill
“We have to start taking ownership” – Mammoth Lakes Town Councilmember/ESCOG Board Member John Wentworth
The quotes are from the October 22, 2025 Eastern Sierra Council of Governments board meeting, at which the ESCOG board voted unanimously to take on biomass utilization development as part of its Sustainable Recreation and Ecosystem Management program, which includes a major focus on wildfire resilience.
These quotes represent a major shift in perspective and action for biomass utilization in one rural region of California where recreation and tourism has long been the region’s economic engine and primary use of its millions of acres of public lands, and where no infrastructure for biomass utilization exists beyond pile burning. As the need for landscape-scale wildfire and climate resilience continues to grow, the ESCOG, a very late addition to the state pilot program in 2025, has stepped up to address this need at a regional level.
Challenges
Prior to ESCOG’s inclusion in the pilot program, there was unified effort to support biomass utilization in the Eastern Sierra. As a biofuels project continued development in Mono County to support a large-scale forest health project on the Inyo National Forest, both project proponents and Inyo National Forest leaders saw the need for convenings to build understanding and address potential challenges of feedstock availability, transportation, and facility siting. ESCOG’s executive director wanted to engage, but the entity lacked funding and clear direction from its board of agency representatives.
Next Steps
ESCOG will work with Eastern Sierra Wildfire Alliance partners to pursue state block grant and other funding to support biomass recommendations beyond convening. ESCOG’s presence and leadership in the Wildfire Alliance strengthens the Eastern Sierra region’s position in a competitive statewide funding environment. With additional funding and staffing, ESCOG should produce what other biomass pilot program regions have called an “Entity Action Plan” to guide its role in regional biomass utilization.
Status
Convening is an important first step not to be overlooked.
This project has demonstrated a need for a communication forum for biomass interests through regular updates and discussions to build greater understanding and awareness. ESCOG is well positioned to bring parties together, as a regional Joint Powers Authority with a program that includes wildfire as part of ecosystem management. Convenings and discussions will continue to build understanding of the complex ecosystem required to support biomass utilization and bioenergy projects.
Team Members
Core Team:
- Elaine Kabala, ESCOG Executive Director
- Kristen Pfeiler, ESCOG Wildfire Coordinator
- Wendi Grasseschi, Mono County Wildfire Coordinator
Consultants:
- CLERE Inc — Christiana Darlington, Owner, Attorney
- Corless Consulting — Stacy Corless, Owner, Project Manager