Curbstone Valley Farm has been breeding quality Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats, for milk and show, for almost a decade.

Clare & Jon were forced to evacuate the herd on the night of August 18th when the CZU Lightning Complex Fire in Santa Cruz exploded by 43,000 acres overnight, and overran the farm.

This fire ultimately claimed over 86,000 acres of densely forested timber land, and 925 single family dwellings.

The buck barn was completely destroyed, the hay barn incinerated, the workshop with all of the farm tools, and all of the stored kidding equipment including the livestock pens, was razed to the ground. Over fifteen acres of timber, part of the Farm's income, was burned. The fire was so intense, that the redwoods flanking the barn burned all the way through.

Fencing was destroyed, and both the spring water, and the well water systems were obliterated. While the majority of the herd was evacuated, sadly, despite their best efforts to save the entire herd, seven animals were still lost in this rapidly moving wildfire.

For the last 6 weeks Clare and Jon, and the remaining herd have been evacuated at the County Fairgrounds, and they are the last of the evacuees with livestock remaining there due to the extent of the damage. Progress so far, with the funds raised to date, have included grading another area on the farm to make a level enough plot to build a temporary mountain lion-proof buck barn and enclosure to get them through the winter months. Phase I (Hazmat) cleanup begins September 28, and is expected to last through about Thanksgiving. Phase II will not likely be started until after winter rains have subsided, meaning that replacing the structures lost cannot commence until the summer of 2021.

The next phase is to erect the temporary buck housing, and restore the spring water tanks and lines, that requires running more than a 1/4 mile of pipe, and testing the water supply, to ensure that both goats and humans have a potable water source before returing home. Once home, repair and restoration of the rest of the farm can begin.

Thus far, insurance has been a non-starter, and little progress has been made in regards to any compensation for the losses, but this is true for all claimants in this area as insurance companies are remiss in compensating those with losses. As Clare and Jon continue to move forward, regardless, updates will be posted here. For more information regarding the fire, including video, see the "News" page on the farm's website at:

https://curbstonevalley.com/news/

and follow the rebuilding progress on social media via the Farm's Facebook Page.