It’s Official: Fall is Back

It is a time to slow down, even if just a bit. Perhaps it's time to end the hard labor of summer and plan for the important projects that lie ahead. As FACO Network Members, you continue to make an impact on  Colorado landscapes and support one another. A time of harvest, when leaves are falling from the trees and mornings are crisp and cool. Our days are getting shorter.   It is also budget season! Don't forget to budget for your attendance at the 2023 Colorado Wildland Fire Conference, and please consider sponsoring this important event in Colorado.  Contact Gloria Edwards to get the ball rolling on your event sponsorship: gloria.edwards@colostate.edu

      Becca

A Growing FACO Network

New Members: A warm welcome to Diana Reeves, Frank Lilley, John Parker, Kathy Hudson, Paul Burek, Ted Sammonds, Tom Hausfeld, and Warren Jones who are among the Glacier View Fire Protection District members who recently joined the Fire Adapted Colorado Network. Glacier View FPD lies within Larimer County, assisting neighbors in Livermore, Red Feather Lakes, Poudre Canyon, and Crystal Lakes.

GVFD is poised for success with a new CWPP in hand, and partnerships that include The Ember Alliance, and the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition. Reach out to CWPP coordinator Warren Jones, to connect. 

WUI Webinar Coming November 7th:

Ouray County Commissioner Ben Tisdel will be joining the Regulating the Wildland -Urban Interface in Colorado webinar on November 7th, to discuss updated wildfire regulations adopted by the county this past May. According to the  Community Wildfire Planning Center report: Regulating the Wildland-Urban Interface in Colorado, Three Case Studies: Colorado Springs, Eagle County, Ouray County.

Ouray County took the important step of attending the Colorado Wildland Fire Conference (CWFC) not just once, but twice; and that is what led this Colorado County to action.  In 2015, Ouray County Commissioner Ben Tisdel attended the CWFC. There, he met experts in the field and learned about building wildfire-resilient communities in the WUI. In 2018, the other two County Commissioners and the entire Planning Commission accompanied Commissioner Tisdel to the conference to expand their understanding of wildfire regulations. The group left the conference with a greater understanding of the latest wildfire mitigation science and ideas for applying it to the County’s regulations. The network succeeds when partners like the Community Wildfire Planning Center, FACO and the CWFC and local leaders like Ouray County establish important connections.

LOCAL REGULATIONS are one way to impact local land use and construction. If you are able to attend the webinar on November 7th, Register here. Can't Attend? If you would a link to the webinar video and resources, send us an email!

LEGISLATION

4 New Laws that went into effect on August 10th:

• House Bill 1111, increases the amount of property lost to wildfires that insurance providers have to cover upfront from 30% of the value to 65%. The law also extends the time frame wildfire victims have to rebuild their homes from 12 months to 36 months.
• Senate Bill 114
   allows county commissioners to designate ponds as fire suppression ponds, protecting them from being drained if needed for firefighting resources.
• House Bill 1132
   requires all controlled burns on private property to be reported to local fire departments.
• House Bill 1012 invests over $7 million on forest health and restoration efforts.

WILDFIRE MATTERS REVIEW COMMITTEE at the September 28th meeting, two potential bills were withdrawn during the drafting process, including the Use of Simulators for Wildland-Fire Related Job Training, and the Wildland-Urban Interface Code Board, which we expected to be kept out as a separate concept. FACO will continue to follow these updates. Read the draft bills here.

EVENTS

• October 14, 2022, 10-3, virtual Watershed Wildfire Protection Group Meeting
• October 27, 2022, Summit County & virtual - Forest Collaborative Summit
• November 7, 2022, virtual Regulating Colorado's Wildland Urban Interface hosted by CWPC, FACO, APA CO
• November 9-10, in-person Grand Junction Assessing Structure Ignition Potential Workshop - Register Here
• November 14, 2022, virtual Third Annual Rocky Mountain Regional Wildfire Smoke Symposium
• November 14-18 2022 Asheville, N.C. in-person & virtual: Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Workshop

• April 11-14, 2023  Accelerating Adaptation and Managing Expectations, Fort Collins Marriott. Registration opens Mid-Nov

RESOURCES

• Choosing the Right Forestry Services Contractor: Practical, Ethical and Environmental Considerations, Oregon State University
• How indigenous knowledge reconnects us all to fire, Kiowa County Press

FUNDING

Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc

COCO is accepting Request for AIM grant proposal concept papers. Read more on their website: https://co-co.org/getinvolved/grants/aim-grant/

Need Low-Interest Loans to fill the gap while awaiting reimbursements? If this is something that your Colorado group needs, please fill out the survey from COCO.

CWDG Round 2:

If you missed round one of the CWDG, take heart, as we've heard there is intent to roll out round 2 as early as June 2023. Ready, Set, CWDG: CWDG Primer: Preparing to Apply for Community Wildfire Defense Grants - Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network (fireadaptednetwork.org)