Broersma: Creative funding for wildfire protection
Valley Voices
Protecting our homes and communities from wildfires is a year-round responsibility, and we can expect to see winter fire mitigation work underway with controlled pile burns across Eagle County as soon as snow settles onto the ground.
As this seasonal shift takes place, I want to thank those partnering on wildfire mitigation projects throughout our valley and share how a creative funding model has expanded the wildfire protection efforts of more than 26 organizations across Eagle County in the past year.
In 2022, Cordillera Metro District and Eagle Valley Wildland pioneered a partnership for securing wildfire mitigation funding by making use of an intergovernmental agreement. This approach has allowed Eagle Valley Wildland to leverage investments made by stakeholders for additional grant funding to double the investment in many cases, similar to a matching funds program.
Cordillera Metro District’s partnership with Eagle Valley Wildland was groundbreaking because it established a model for others across Eagle County to streamline funding for wildfire mitigation projects in a way that had not been done previously.
While our partnership with Eagle Valley Wildland has allowed us to make incredible progress toward wildfire mitigation within the Cordillera Metro District, we’re also seeing a domino-like impact spread throughout the valley.
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Over the past year, the funding model we developed has been replicated to secure wildfire mitigation funding for organizations spanning the I-70 corridor from Gypsum to EagleVail and as far south as Camp Hale.
Here are a few highlights from these partnerships so far in 2023:
- $4.1 million in grants awarded to Eagle Valley Wildland and its partners
- 2,600 acres of terrain treated across Eagle County
- 23 miles of tactical fuel breaks created
- Upward of 4,000 new slash piles staged for controlled burning
Many thanks to Fire Chief Karl Bauer of Eagle River Fire Protection District and Fire Management Officer Hugh Fairfield-Smith at Eagle Valley Wildland for providing leadership that helps guide the wildfire mitigation strategy in Cordillera and throughout the valley.
Their science-backed approach enabled Cordillera Metro District to identify areas that offer the highest protection level for our community, our neighboring communities and beyond. Their teams shared knowledge with our staff and offered invaluable equipment training so that we could take ownership of wildfire mitigation for years to come.
In the upcoming weeks when you see EC Alerts or messages on Eagle County’s variable message boards advising of pile burns, you’ll know that they’re a sign of action being taken to protect our communities. Work to reduce the threat of wildfires doesn’t stop in the winter.
Trevor Broersma is the general manager of the Cordillera Metro District.
