A temporary program to help wildfire mitigation efforts across the West could become permanent under new legislation introduced Thursday by Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Joe Neguse.
Several dispersed camping areas in Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest will temporarily close due to overuse, abandoned campfires, littered trails, trampled vegetation, and polluted waters.
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An occasional series of conversations with experts on the science and policies regarding fires.
The conversation about forest health, climate change and last year’s wildfire season moved to the money side this week, with four bills dealing with mitigation and fire suppression on the agenda.
Monday, the House Agriculture, Livestock and Water Committee signed off on House Bill 1008, which would allow local communities to set up their own special districts to finance local mitigation projects.
It’s worth noting that the state’s wish list for mitigation funding is in the ballpark of $750 million, just for the most urgent areas. It would take $2.4 billion to fund all mitigation projects in unhealthy forests, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
6 months later, Grand County starts to rebuild from East Troublesome Fire
The fire tore through Colorado, destroying hundreds of homes and leaving scars on one of the most beautiful parts of the state. Author: Marc Sallinger (9 News) Published: 9:51 PM MDT May 6, 2021 Updated: 9:51 PM MDT May 6, 2021
GRAND COUNTY, Colo. The forests sit quietly now, but the scars on Grand County are still fresh.
One house at a time, they are rebuilding from the East Troublesome Fire that tore through Colorado, destroying hundreds of homes, half a year ago.
“It’s like a tornado is the best way I can put it together,” said Matt Reed-Tolonen, a Grand County resident who lost his home in the fire. “It’s like it picked and choosed and I don’t know why it chose us. But it did.”