The 2020 wildfire season was another record breaker. Routt County was surrounded by wildfires and was witness to the incredible destruction in nearby Grand and Jackson County. Fire is part of our environment and we all are exposed to some risk, no matter where we live. At this year’s Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Conference, we will have local and regional experts present on steps that we all can take – from the individual homeowner to our community stakeholders – to mitigate risks and be prepared in the face of a wildfire. This community event will take place virtually beginning on Thursday, April 29 from 5 to 6:15pm and running every Thursday evening through May, following the schedule below:

• April 29 at 5pm: Kick-off – Learning from 2020 to Prepare for Wildfire Season (1.5 hrs)- USFS, BLM, County OEM, Fire Districts, CSFS, DFPC, Council.

• May 6 at 5pm: Home Ignition Zone & Ready, Set, Go – Being Prepared as an Individual Home or Ranch Owner (1.25 hrs) – Dan Beveridge (CSFS) and Todd Hagenbuch (CSU Ext)

• May 13 at 5pm: HOAs and Small Communities – Case Studies and Best Practices for Mitigation – Becca Samulski (FACO) and Chief Wisecup/Brady Glauthier (Oak Creek/Stagecoach case study)

• May 20 at 5pm: Community Lessons Learned – Preparedness and Recovery - Shelly Olson (Grand Fire - ET) & Frank Alfone/Kelly Romero-Heaney (Water in Steamboat)

This event is an effort of the Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council to promote public awareness and understanding of wildfire risk to foster community-driven action to reduce risk and the impacts of wildfire in Routt County.

Organizer of 2021 Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Conference
The conference is being organized through the cooperative efforts of the Colorado State Forest Service, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Routt County Office of Emergency Management, Routt County Fire Protection Districts, the Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control, Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, CSU Extension, Colorado Mountain College, Southern Rockies Fire Science Network, the Steamboat Board of Realtors and others.