FireWise of Southwest Colorado announces that Rebecca Samulski, FireWise assistant director, and Jim Tencza, neighborhood ambassador for Timberdale Ranch in La Plata County, are recipients of national Wildfire Mitigation Awards.
Established in 2014, the awards are the highest commendation for the innovation and leadership displayed by people and organizations committed to wildfire preparedness and mitigation.
“These outstanding individuals are truly embracing the concept of creating fire adapted communities,” said Pam Wilson, executive director for FireWise of Southwest Colorado.
In 2015, Samulski started the Dolores Watershed and Resilient Forest Collaborative in Montezuma County to reduce the risk of wildfires affecting McPhee Reservoir. Tencza has promoted the development of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, coordinating defensible space projects over the past four years and instigating the first cross-boundary treatment onto private lands that adjoin Timberdale Ranch.
Of the 14 national awardees, three were from Colorado and two from Southwest Colorado. Awards will be presented in March at the Wildland-Urban Interface Conference in Reno, Nevada. FireWise of Southwest Colorado will honor Samulski and Tencza at its March meeting.
