About the Sierra Retreat
Hosted annually by the Central Section in late August at Camp Sequoia Lake, located just 2 miles before the entrance of Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park in Central California’s beautiful Sierra Nevada region; the Sierra Retreat offers a weekend getaway for APA members, their families and guests, to experience cherished time in the outdoors enjoying hiking, fishing, kayaking, swimming, campfires and relaxation in a natural setting. On Saturday morning, a professional development session (discussing a planning topic of interest) is presented, which allows for AICP credits. All meals and lodging are included with registration. We would love to see you at the Lake!
Highlights from the 2025 Sierra Retreat:
What happens when you bring together fellow planners, their families, and professionals knowledgeable about planning for California Wildfires? You get the “spark” of CenCal APA’s Sierra Retreat!
All kidding aside, the 2025 Sierra Retreat was a huge success! With over 30 years of “Planning Camp” weekends, newcomers and old-timers came together at the beautiful YMCA Camp Sequoia Lake for a reprieve of everyday life. This year, we got to experience the beauty of nature, including an unexpected end-of-summer storm showcasing plenty of sky-wide lightning, roaring thunder, and tumultuous raindrops, requiring campers and staff to clear the chairs and tables from the outside dining hall deck! This, of course, led to lots of indoor activity, including games featuring Bananagrams, Uno, Chronology, playing cards, and many others. Once the thunderstorm cleared up, it was back to normal, with swimming, kayaking, and canoeing, as usual, followed by our second annual Talent Show, world-famous Bingo, and never-to-be-missed campfire and smores.
Prior to our spectacular weather event, planners, fire professionals, and community leaders came together for an energizing and timely discussion on one of California’s most pressing challenges: Wildfires. Entitled “California Wildfires: Planning Strategies for Recovery, Resilience, and Future Protection,” this outdoor workshop provided an opportunity for reflection, learning, and forward-thinking collaboration.
Against the backdrop of the devastating wildfires in Southern California earlier this year—which claimed 29 lives, forced more than 200,000 evacuations, and destroyed over 18,000 homes—participants looked both backward and forward. Stories from past events like the 2020 Creek Fire in the Sierra National Forest and last year’s Borel Fire in Kern County reminded attendees of the urgency to rethink how communities are built, protected, and rebuilt in fire-prone landscapes.
The panel featured a powerhouse lineup, including CAL FIRE Battalion Chief David Acuna, and planning experts Erik De Kok, AICP, Ascent; Aaron Pfannenstiel, Atlas Planning Solutions; and Eric VonBerg, Rincon Consultants. Moderators Carolina Ilic, AICP, VRPA Technologies, and David Fey, retired planner, guided the conversation through critical themes: the role of defensible space, balancing housing density with fire-safe design, resiliency and equity issues related to recovery and adaptation, and the differing roles of local state, and federal responsibility areas for wildfire management.
Attendees didn’t just listen—they engaged. The panelists tackled tough discussion questions, intermingled by comments, observations, and even more inquiries by attendees. Topics included: How can we reconcile the need for more housing with fire safety requirements? What’s the difference between hazard and risk, and how should it shape our planning? And perhaps most importantly, how can planners help communities rebuild equitably and resiliently after wildfires and ensure that recovery efforts do not leave disadvantaged communities behind?
Participants learned about available resources, including California’s “Zone 0” ember-resistant regulations, CAL FIRE’s newly released California Community Wildfire Protection Plan Toolkit, and Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, as well as important websites, such as www.fire.ca.gov and www.readyforwildfire.org. Beyond these resources, though, what lingered was the resounding call to action for planners to be curious, reach out beyond silos, and connect to others at all levels to meet fellow colleagues, understand the issues from new perspectives, make connections that encourage unified approaches for true community building resilience, and work together to set up plans for pre-disaster recovery planning. The retreat went beyond learning, encouraging the building of professional networks to make California’s communities more fire-resilient, equitable, and prepared for the challenges ahead. For speaker bios and email addresses, scroll further below. If you attended the session, make sure to log your 2.5 AICP CM Credits, including 1 credit for Sustainability Resilience: #9315001.
The Sierra Retreat is our section’s signature event. If you’ve never been, mark your calendars to join us next summer (always the last or second-to-last weekend in August). A huge thanks to our sponsors: Provost & Pritchard, VRPA Technologies, and 4Creeks, and to our Sierra Retreat Coordinators, Carolina Ilic, Karl Schoettler, and Jenna Chilingerian. There’s nothing like Planning Camp and we can’t wait to see you there in 2026!
2025 Program Abstract with Speaker Biographies
2025 Sierra Retreat Google Photo Album
For additional information, please contact Sierra Retreat Coordinator, Carolina Ilic, AICP
Highlights from the 2024 Sierra Retreat: What a great and fun weekend had by all high in the Sierra mountains. Check out our first-ever imovie of CenCal APA Sierra Retreat at Sequoia Lake, aka fondly known as, “Planning Camp!” We engaged in our usual fun at the lake that included campfires, smores, sing-a-longs, boating, and BINGO, plus a new activity that was an instant hit – a talent show. Don’t worry…if you plan to attend next year, the talent show is completely voluntary! A special thank you to our co-planners, Carolina Ilic and Karl Schoettler, our committee members, attendees, and Sponsors – Precision Civil Engineering, Rincon Consultants, Sigala, Inc., VRPA Technologies, Provost & Pritchard, and 4Creeks for making this event a success.
Photos from the Retreat (Click to View Album)
Trials and Tribulations of Planning New Towns and Cities (Click to Add to CM Log)
For additional information, please contact Sierra Retreat Coordinator, Carolina Ilic, AICP