National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day will be held May 7.
The National Fire Protection Association selected 125 communities to receive $500 project funding awards provided by State Farm.
These communities will be implementing fuels reduction projects and wildfire mitigation education activities May 7. Four of the Colorado awards were received in Southwest Colorado: one each in Archuleta and Montezuma counties and two in La Plata County.
In Archuleta County, FireWise and the San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership will host a barbecue and education event on Reservoir Hill to highlight recent mitigation activities.
In La Plata County, two FireWise Communities, Falls Creek Ranch and Vista de Oro have planned activities. Vista de Oro residents are partnering with Fort Lewis Mesa Fire and La Plata County to conduct fuels mitigation in the road right-of-way and on private land along County Road 117.
Falls Creek Ranch will be providing residents with 600 compostable lawn bags for people to use for pine needles, pinecones and leaves, which they will collect to start a large compost pile for gardeners in their neighborhood. In addition, they will be creating easier access to their white fir Christmas tree area and distributing large-format maps showing homeowners designated safe areas, and emergency escape routes.
In Montezuma County, the FireWise Chapter will be retrofitting a house on the campus at Mancos Community College Campus that will be used for regional firefighter and EMS training.
Durango Nature Studies will offer its “Plant and Wildlife Spring Runoff Adaptations Workshop” from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Durango Nature Center.
Participants will explore how regional plants and wildlife have specialized to survive winter and spring runoff.
The group will hike the area to identify local plant life. Participants will also discuss and survey the topographic features and the seasonal calendar to speculate how plants and animals turn the cold seasons, winter snowpack and spring thaw to their advantage.
The workshop is free for members and $10 for nonmembers.
To register, all Andrea Owens at 769-9377 or email andrea@durangonaturestudies.org.
The Bureau of Reclamation has released a draft environmental assessment for the Lake Nighthorse Recreation Plan.
The assessment includes a no-action alternative and three alternative recreation plans. The three proposed plans provide different scenarios for recreation at Lake Nighthorse while protecting water quality and sensitive natural and cultural resources and ensure compatibility with the purpose of the Animas-La Plata Project for municipal and industrial water supply.
The draft environmental assessment is available at www.usbr.gov/uc/progact/animas/index.html, under the Environmental Compliance tab or a copy can be received by calling Justyn Liff at (970) 248-0625.
The Bureau of Reclamation will consider all comments received before preparing a final environmental assessment.
Written comments can be submitted by email to jliff@usbr.gov or mailed to: Ed Warner, Bureau of Reclamation, 445 West Gunnison Ave., Suite 221, Grand Junction, CO 81501. Comments are due by April 25.
The entire comment – including personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time.
Growing Partners of Southwest Colorado will host its eighth annual Homegrown Food Retreat: Sharing Stories of Community Cooperation and Homegrown Leadership from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 9 at the Mancos School cafeteria, 301 Grand Ave., Mancos.
The event will feature activities and workshops for all ages as well as local food.
Participants will learn how to graft apple trees, start a cooperative, buy local produce for a business, map food in the community and more.
The suggested donation is $20.
Herald Staff
