(DENVER) – Today, Governor Polis and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today $8.4 million through the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program (COSWAP), which accelerates forest restoration and wildfire risk reduction through targeted projects that protect communities, watersheds and critical infrastructure.
This round includes 14 Workforce Development Grants to treat 1,045 acres of forested land and train over 150 wildfire mitigation individuals, and five Landscape Resilience Investments in partnership with the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Wildfire Ready Watersheds program to strategically support wildfire risk reduction and critical water infrastructure protection in high priority watersheds in targeted counties including in Garfield, Grand, Boulder, Jackson and Montezuma.
“Here in Colorado, no matter what happens in Washington DC, we are aggressively expanding fire prevention strategies that work, and that includes the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program. This critical funding supports wildfire mitigation efforts across the state and helps Coloradans gain skills, and earn hands-on experience to become the next generation of well-equipped Colorado foresters,” said Governor Polis.
“This year, I am pleased we are able to provide significant new funding for on the ground hand crews and training and significant landscape scale projects to a wider range of Colorado communities for forest mitigation and watershed protection work,” said Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources. Dan Gibbs. “Our COSWAP program rose up out of the devastating 2020 wildfire season and I am proud of the growth and innovation the program has shown. It provides essential on the ground funding to help protect lives, property and critical infrastructure while helping our communities become more resilient in the face of larger, more complex wildfires.”
COSWAP’s Workforce Development Grant is designed to reduce wildfire risk through entry-level training opportunities and hands-on experience. The mission of this program is strengthened by COSWAP’s partners at the Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) and Department of Corrections’ State Wildland Inmate Fire Teams (DOC SWIFT) who offer the next generation of land stewards the skills, experience and career exposure to succeed in wildfire mitigation and forestry. Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera has been a leader in securing investments for CYCA and creating avenues so AmeriCorps members can gain skills to help better lead mitigation efforts in Colorado.
In this round of Workforce Development Grants, CYCA crews including Larimer County Conservation Corps, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, Mile High Youth Corps and Southwest Conservation Corps received awards to complete six wildfire mitigation projects. Similarly, the DOC SWIFT crews will work on three projects. The remaining five workforce development awards will go towards training individuals in basic wildland firefighting and chainsaw operations.
“COSWAP is a transformational program in Colorado. Not only does it protect the lives and livelihoods of millions of Coloradans, it also unites people through service to their communities. This investment will develop the next generation of wildland firefighters, provide a pathway to the next chapter of service for the women and men of the National Guard, and bring a sense of purpose and accomplishment to conservation corps members. It represents the best of government, allocating resources to proven, impactful solutions,” said Scott Segerstrom, Executive Director, Colorado Youth Corps Association.
“The Pueblo Fire Department has obtained this grant funding every year since 2022, and it has had a significant positive effect on the spread of fire in those areas. The City of Pueblo cannot express how much we appreciate being awarded this grant for three years in a row continuing into 2025 and how much it increases the safety of our citizens,” said Deputy Fire Chief Kieth Novak from the City of Pueblo Fire Department. “The COSWAP grant has benefited the City of Pueblo, working with the Pueblo Fire Department and the City of Pueblo Parks Department, to mitigate wildland fire risks along the north Fountain River as well as multiple areas of the Arkansas River through the City of Pueblo by clearing areas along the rivers of underbrush, trees and other plants to make the area more accessible when there is a fire, as well as decreasing the possibility of fire spread by creating fire breaks and ground clearing. The work these crews do has significantly decreased the hazard risk associated with fire spread to homes around the rivers.”
This year, the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program is proud to support Serve Colorado and Colorado National Guard in their pilot project working with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Although this project is located outside of COSWAP’s Strategic Focus Areas, it was a unique opportunity to leverage two service-oriented entities that provide workforce development for their members as well as wildfire mitigation benefits for the community.
"Members of the Colorado National Guard make up a population that are dedicated to serving their state and nation. By partnering with AmeriCorps to develop workforce pathways for National Guard personnel into the public sector, we as a nation receive substantial returns on our investments from multiple levels of government. Through this program, our part-time service members receive financial stability - building our military readiness-, our communities benefit from the military training those service members have already received, and our military forces benefit from well rounded service members who are able to bring the skills they've gained in AmeriCorps to the warfight.
This partnership is a perfect example of government efficiency and maximizes the return on investment for American tax dollars, all while ensuring our local communities and service members are more prepared for whatever the future throws at them," said Major General Laura Clellan.
COSWAP’s Landscape Resilience Investments focus on large-scale, cross-boundary fuels reduction projects. This year, COSWAP launched a special release of this funding opportunity in partnership with the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Wildfire Ready Watersheds program.
Through this special release, awardees will implement wildfire risk reduction projects that protect critical water infrastructure within high priority watersheds. COSWAP distributed $4,850,000 between the City of Boulder, City of Fort Collins, City of Glenwood Springs, Grand Fire Protection District and Mancos Conservation District to treat a combined 1,313 acres over the next three years.
All five recipients of the Landscape Resilience Investment are also developing a Wildfire Ready Action Plan to assess the potential impacts of wildfire on community infrastructure, and advance a framework for their community to plan and implement mitigation strategies to minimize these impacts before wildfires occur.
“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. By integrating this work with COSWAP’s Landscape Resilience Investments, we’re ensuring that wildfire mitigation efforts not only protect homes and infrastructure but also safeguard the watersheds that sustain our communities,” said Chris Sturm, Watershed Program Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board. “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’s special release leverages a vital partnership to integrate both forest and watershed health. For example, the City of Glenwood Springs and Grand Fire Protection District projects are both located in high wildfire risk areas as well as high priority watersheds that drain into the Colorado River. Ultimately, supporting projects that integrate forest and watershed health will promote long-term ecological resilience.
Through Senate Bill 21-258, COSWAP has invested $25.4 million into its Landscape Resilience Investment program, as well as $13.8 million towards its Workforce Development program. COSWAP releases Workforce Development Grant opportunities every year, while Landscape Resilience Investments are typically every other year, with about $5 million available annually.
To see a full list of Workforce Development and Landscape Resilience Investment grants please see the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program website.