BAILEY HEALTHY FORESTS INITIATIVE
For a Fire Adapted Community
Changes in land use and well intended, but misguided, forest suppression policies drastically altered our forests. Understanding what forests looked like before these changes is important for making forest management decisions as we work to proactively restore forest health and reduce the risks of catastrophic fire.
We must all work together to promote Fire Adapted Communities and return the forests to a natural cycle.
Cooper, Jonathan Bruno of the Coalition for The Upper South Platte and president and owner of Wildfire Planning International Molly Mowery each said Thursday that revamped codes and regulations need to go hand-in-hand with individual responsibility in order to achieve “Fire Adapted Communities.”
Bruno is a proponent of allowing the forest to mitigate itself through ground fires. Those easily manageable blazes were the norm before the late 19th Century when people became obsessed with putting out every fire as quickly as possible. Bruno said education and mitigation to restore forests to a pre-20th Century state is like a layer cake.
He said if federal, state, regional and local officials join with homeowners associations and individual residents, the result will be a sweet one.
“This isn’t going to stop,” Bruno said, referring to increased fire activity as a result of extreme climate conditions and more and more people moving into the WUI.
Bruno and CUSP volunteers have already been thinning forests around Teller County and Park County towns, attempting to create a barrier that will slow fire and keep it low as it approaches.
Mowery believes that turning WUI areas into Fire Adapted Communities is definitely possible.
There’s a tremendous amount of wildfire and flood mitigation work going on in the Pikes Peak Region, but much more is needed. It’s important for government agencies, nonprofits, businesses, communities, other organizations, and individuals to all work together to mitigate the impacts of the next wildfires and floods. When we all work together to tackle these issues on a large scale, the impact is much greater than the sum of the parts, and communities are much safer.
The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog is now up. The blog is dedicated to sharing information, news, and lessons for helping communities adapt to fire. Check out the blog for new updates, and while you’re there learn a little more about the network and participants: facnetwork.org
Please share the below announcement with anyone who may be interested in interning with the Coalition for the Upper South Platte as a Forest Health Intern.
Click here to see the announcement document in PDF format.
Thank you for your interest in working with CUSP as an intern! We value your unique perspective and skills and appreciate your personal interest in natural resource management. We strive to make internship experiences valuable learning opportunities and we are genuinely interested in helping you reach your goals. The following provides a general outline of the Forest Health Internship, but individual experiences can be modified based on an intern’s skills, interests, and schedule.
Job Title: Forest Health Intern
Job Description: The Forest Health Intern will assist with forest health projects throughout the watershed. The intern will work with the field crew on wildfire restoration and fuels mitigation projects. These projects are critically important to mitigate life-threatening post-fire flooding and reduce the risk of devastating wildfires in communities. Fieldwork will include learning to fell trees with a chainsaw, chipping fuels, hillslope re-vegetation, erosion control projects, collecting GPS data, collecting photo data, contractor oversight, and working with volunteers. The Forest Health Intern will also spend time with our on-staff Forester and Operations Director to assist with forest project planning, preparing for wildfire on a community-wide level, and implementing forest health projects on private and public lands. In addition to learning about forest health, the intern will also have a chance to explore other aspects of natural resources management of interest and gain insight into the general operations of a highly collaborative watershed nonprofit.
Learning Goals
Certifications and Trainings
Expected Work Week: 20-40 hours per week, with some weekends required
Expected Duration: June 2 – August 8 (10 weeks)
Compensation: $12 per hour
Location: Most work will be based out of our office in Lake George, CO and fieldwork will occur throughout the Upper South Platte Watershed and connecting watersheds.
Supervisor: Jonathan Bruno, Operations Director
Preferred Skills and Qualifications:
Description of the Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP): The Coalition for the Upper South Platte is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the water quality and ecological health of the Upper South Platte Watershed, through the cooperative efforts of watershed stakeholders, with emphasis placed on community values and economic sustainability. CUSP collaborates with partners and stakeholders to promote the health of the watershed through projects focused on river and stream restoration, forest health, water quality, habitat and recreation, environmental education, volunteerism, energy, monitoring and assessment, and wildfire restoration and protection. http://uppersouthplatte.org
To Apply: Please send a cover letter and resume by email to Amy Jacobi, Communications and Education Coordinator, at amy@uppersouthplatte.org by May 1, 2014
The Colorado Wildland Fire Conference is coming up on April 16 – 17. The conference is designed for community leaders, planners, and officials, and promises to be a very informative couple days. Register at www.wildfire-colorado.com
Mile High Youth Corps is hiring for their Land Conservation Program. This is a great opportunity for youth ages 18-24 interested in getting hands-on experience doing environmental conservation work. Find more information about Mile High Youth Corps at www.milehighyouthcorps.org and apply for jobs here.
Saw Camping & Day Corpsmember – Colorado Springs
Rampart Camping Trail Corpsmember – Colorado Springs
Rampart Saw Camping Corpsmember – Colorado Springs
Pueblo Day and Camping Corpsmember – Pueblo
Day and Camping Trail Corpsmember – Colorado Springs
Crew Mentor – Colorado Springs
Saw Camping & Day Corpsmember – Canon City
Saw Crew Leader – Colorado Springs
Saw Day Crew Corpsmember – Colorado Springs
Senior Crew Supervisor
Trail Crew Leader – Colorado Springs
The Coalition for the Upper South Platte’s fuels management crews are scheduled to pile burn on Wednesday, Feb 26 & Thursday, Feb 27.
Crews will begin burning piles located north of Divide within the Ute Lakes Fishing and Recreation Club. Burning will occur as weather and conditions allow throughout the next few months.
Smoke may be visible. Smoke-sensitive residents should consider staying indoors and keeping doors, windows and outside vents closed.
Fuels management staff will post road signs around the areas affected by the pile burns and send Nixel notifications. For more information please contact – cusp@uppersouthplatte.org, or call 719.748.0033
The Coalition for the Upper South Platte’s fuels management crews are scheduled to pile burn on Friday, Feb 14.
Crews will begin burning piles located north of Divide within the Ute Lakes Fishing and Recreation Club. Burning will occur as weather and conditions allow throughout the next few months.
Smoke may be visible. Smoke-sensitive residents should consider staying indoors and keeping doors, windows and outside vents closed.
Fuels management staff will post road signs around the areas affected by the pile burns and send Nixel notifications. For more information please contact – cusp@uppersouthplatte.org, or call 719.748.0033
The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) program has again been fully funded with $40 million for FY14. The CFLR program is a federal program designed to provide funding for collaborative groups around the nation to restore forest health by removing the unnatural build-up of brush and small diameter trees, which can fuel megafires. 145 local, regional, and national level stakeholders from 22 states are working on landscape-scale restoration projects driven by science-based practices. The program is helping to make our forests healthier, protect our watersheds, improve ecological conditions, and infuse funds into local economies on a broad scale. The program is funding forest restoration projects along the Front Range in the Pike and Araphaho/Roosevelt National Forests. Find out more about the national initiative on the U.S. Forest Service’s CFLRP page, and learn more about local efforts on the Front Range Roundtable website.