Our dear friends Rob and Masha are among those whose land was burnt by the massive CZU Lightning Complex fires in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties in August. The fires destroyed their home and all of their off-the-grid infrastructure. They are understandably devastated and heartbroken, as are so many of us community members who have come to be part of and love the land. We are here to help them begin a cleanup and move towards rebuilding the beautiful dream. 

The Ridge (as the land is called) was a raw piece of land with massive redwood trees, loads of poison oak, two deteriorated cabins, and heaps of associated red tape when they bought it. Over years and thousands of labor-hours, they revitalized the land, installed power, water from the natural spring, planted an organic garden, created habitat for wildlife, and were rebuilding and repairing the cabins.  This ambitious journey was co-created with so many friends and family.


Rob and Masha have built a life creating spaces to bring people together. “Home is where the people are,” Rob often says. The Ridge became a place to embrace and extend that mantra into a way of life surrounded by natural beauty. Their openness and generosity has allowed The Ridge to become a shared dream for many in their community. Masha describes it as, “a place of connection - to nature, to the redwoods, to friends, and to ourselves.”


The CZU fires destroyed everything they, and many of us, had worked so hard to create, leaving a charred mess and some of the resilient redwoods behind. 

This month we hope to raise enough to begin the initial cleanup and infrastructure repair. The repairs needed include:

$10K for clean-up of hazard waste and set erosion control before winter rains
$50K to replace power (solar, generators, batteries) and propane tanks
$25K to restore the natural spring fresh water and repair the septic system

From there they can start rebuilding a cabin that they can go home to.  The estimated cost of the damage is over $400,000. While FEMA loans will hopefully cover a subset of this, there is no insurance to help.




We know that this request comes during a pandemic, an economic contraction, and a difficult time for so many people. We understand that’s simply not possible for everyone to offer financial support right now. For those able to give financially, we are deeply grateful for your support! Every donation counts, whether large or small.

If you are in the local region and would like to help in lieu of, or in addition to, a donation please provide your name and information here . In the coming weeks, we will send out requests for volunteer labor and experience, as well as things you can do at home such as help sourcing donated or discounted materials and equipment.

Thank you. Rob and Masha have been generous to all of us in so many ways through the years. We want to reflect that generosity back towards them now.