Eagle Valley Wildland encourages homeowners to use this month to prepare for upcoming fire season
Weekly challenges to be posted on social media encouraging participation
Special to the Daily
Wildland fire season is around the corner, and the Eagle Valley Wildland Program is looking to help prepare the community by kicking off a “Protect Our WUI” challenge during the month of April. The Eagle Valley Wildland Program, consisting of Greater Eagle Fire Protection District and Eagle River Fire Protect District, will unveil a challenge each week in April to encourage the community to take small steps to harden the defensible space around their homes.
Follow the Eagle Valley Wildland Program on Facebook and Instagram for the challenges each week. By sharing before and after pictures of the work done for each of the weekly challenges, participants will qualify to receive a goodie bag filled with prizes.
The contest will end on Saturday, May 1, in coordination with National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, a national campaign that encourages people and organizations everywhere to come together on a single day to take action to raise awareness and reduce wildfire risks. It is held in the United States and Canada on the first Saturday in May. Given that in-person gatherings are limited or on-hold in many places, this year’s Prep Day is focused on what residents can do on and around their homes to help protect against the threat of wildfires.
Weekly challenge videos will be posted to social media and additional information disseminated via NextDoor. To participate, community members must share photos on the Eagle Valley Wildland Facebook (EagleValleyWildland) or Instagram (eagle_valley_wildland) pages with the hashtag #ProtectOurWUI. For example, a resident can share a before and after picture of cleaned out gutters, limbed up trees or cleared vegetation.
Special to the Daily
Twenty of Colorado’s largest wildfires have occurred within the last 20 years. Four out of the five largest fires in state history have occurred within the last three years. In 2020, the Grizzly Creek Fire burned over 32,000 acres and directly threatened several communities within Eagle County. In response to this growing threat from uncontrolled wildfire, in 2020 the Greater Eagle and Eagle River Fire Protection Districts cooperatively launched the Eagle Valley Wildland Program. The intent of this joint wildland program is to reduce the overall wildfire risk of the communities it serves through effective mitigation, appropriately-scaled wildfire suppression, and collaborative community outreach and education.
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