The state is investing $8.4 million in the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program, Gov. Jared Polis and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday.
COSWAP attempts to restore forests and reduce the risk of wildfires through watersheds, critical infrastructure and targeted projects to protect communities.
This round of funding includes 14 workforce development grants to train over 150 wildfire mitigation personnel. There will also be five landscape resilience investments to strategically support wildfire risk reduction and critical water infrastructure. This funding will be targeted in Garfield, Grand, Boulder, Jackson and Montezuma counties.
COSWAP distributed $4.85 million in landscape resilience investments between the City of Boulder, City of Fort Collins, City of Glenwood Springs, Grant Fire Protection District and Mancos Conservation District to cover 1,313 acres over the next three years.
All five recipients will also develop a Wildfire Ready Action Plan to assess the potential impacts of wildfires on their community's infrastructure, and create a framework to implement wildfire mitigation strategies.
“The Wildfire Ready Watersheds program is designed to help communities understand and mitigate the risks that post-wildfire hazards, e.g. floods and debris flows, pose to their lives, property, water supplies, and other infrastructure,” Colorado Water Conservation Board Watershed Program Director Chris Sturm said. “These grants set our partners up for success by combining strategic planning with on-the-ground action, helping Colorado build more resilient landscapes and water systems before the next wildfire strikes.”
COSWAP was started in response to the 2020 wildfire season, according to Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources Dan Gibbs.
In 2021, the governor signed SB21-258, appropriating funds for wildfire mitigation. Since then, COSWAP has invested $25.4 million into its Landscape Resilience Investment program and $13.8 million into the Workforce Development program.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.