Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative

📢We're hiring!

We've added some more positions, including 3 lead project foresters and a forestry communications specialist. Apply now!

https://csfs.colostate.edu/employment/


📷CSFS

Larimer County and the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed have launched the Home Ignition Zone Mitigation Assistance Program (HIZ MAP), giving eligible homeowners in the Red Feather Lakes area (Cherokee Meadows, Crystal Lakes, Glacier View, and Poudre Canyon) access to up to $4,000 in wildfire mitigation work on their property.

That means real defensible space work — vegetation management, fuel reduction — with contractor coordination handled through the program.

Getting started takes three steps:
1️⃣ Schedule a free Home Ignition Zone Assessment (HIZA) with your local fire department
2️⃣ Determine your eligibility for HIZ MAP
3️⃣ Apply online

Learn more at: poudrewatershed.org/hizmap

Thank you to everyone who joined us last week for a screening of Fire Lives Here. We’re especially grateful to our partners at Big Thompson Watershed Coalition, Peaks to People Water Fund, Larimer County Government, and the U.S. Forest Service-Arapaho & Roosevelt Natl Forests Pawnee Natl Grassland for helping bring this important conversation to our community. A special thank you to Xcel Energy for sponsoring the event and supporting efforts to advance wildfire awareness and resilience across Northern Colorado.

The film reminds us that wildfire is a natural part of our landscape, and that living safely with fire requires collaboration, stewardship, and action at every level—from our forests and watersheds to our homes and neighborhoods.

Missed this screening? There are still opportunities to join us this summer:

📅 July 1
📅 July 16
📅 August 12

Learn more and reserve your spot: https://nocofireshed.org/fire-lives-here-film-screenings/

Fire has always belonged here. 🔥🌲

Join us on May 27 at the historic Rialto Theater in Loveland for a special screening of Fire Lives Here — a powerful exploration of fire’s essential role in shaping and restoring Colorado’s forests, protecting watersheds, and building wildfire resilience across our communities.

This film brings together the people, stories, and science behind living with fire in the West — and the collaborative work happening right here in Northern Colorado.

We’re proud to partner with the National Forest Foundation, Big Thompson Watershed Coalition, and Peaks to People Water Fund for this important community conversation.

📍 Rialto Theater | Loveland, CO
🗓 May 27
⏰ 5:30–7:30 PM

Grab you tickets today: https://bigthompson.co/event/fire-lives-here-film-screening/

U.S. Forest Service-Arapaho & Roosevelt Natl Forests Pawnee Natl Grassland

At NoCo Fireshed’s first Cultural Burning Workshop with Trees, Water & People, participants were reminded that fire is not simply a management tool — it is a living cultural practice rooted in generations of Indigenous stewardship, healing, and ecological balance.

A powerful takeaway from the workshop was the need to shift from leading to listening. Building healthier, more resilient landscapes requires more than technical solutions — it requires humility, relationship-building, and a willingness to follow Indigenous leadership from the very beginning.

This workshop marks an important first step in developing a longer-term program grounded in collaboration, shared learning, and the recognition that Indigenous perspectives are essential to the future of wildfire resilience.

Read the blog: https://nocofireshed.org/noco-fireshed-launches-first-cultural-burning-workshop-with-indigenous-partners/

Photos: TWP

What if the best way to save taxpayer dollars wasn’t fighting bigger wildfires — but preventing them in the first place?

New research shows that every $1 invested in fuel reduction and prescribed fire can prevent nearly $4 in wildfire-related damages, from smoke impacts to property loss. Controlled burns reduced burned area by 36% across studied fires in the West — proving proactive forest management works.

At NoCo Fireshed, we know prescribed fire is more than a tool — it’s an investment in healthier forests, safer communities, cleaner air, and long-term resilience. The choice isn’t between fire or no fire. It’s between planned fire now or more severe fires later.

Learn more: https://grist.org/solutions/how-controlled-burns-can-help-save-taxpayers-billions/

THIS SATURDAY. May is Wildfire Awareness Month and what a better way to learn about the fire forecast than with experts in the field. Join the Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative and the Estes Valley Watershed Coalition for EVWC’s annual symposium. This year’s event will focus on Fire: Past, Present, and Future with presentations from NoCo Fireshed Partners including Colorado Forest Restoration Institutute, Rocky Mountain Tree Ring Research, Rocky Mountain National Park, and more. RSVP here: https://www.evwatershed.org/events/ev-watershed-presents-living-with-fire-the-past-present-and-future-of-fire-in-colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park Estes Valley Fire Protection District Estes Valley Watershed Coalition Colorado Forest Restoration Institute

Two of Colorado's former governors submitted a timely perspective on forest thinning and wildfire management in Colorado, underscoring the balance between reducing wildfire risk and protecting forest ecosystems. At its core, the Fireshed mission supports proactive forest management, recognizing that thoughtful action today leads to stronger, healthier forests over time.

Have you applied yet? Join the Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative and the U.S. Forest Service-Arapaho & Roosevelt Natl Forests Pawnee Natl Grassland for our innagural artist in residence program. Four lucky artists will receive a $1,000 stipend and a residency in a secluded forest cabin, offering time and space to be inspired by the powerful role fire plays in shaping our landscape. Know someone who may be a good fit? Apply now: https://nocofireshed.org/noco-fireshed-artist-in-residence-program/

Fireshed partners are working to create conditions where our forests can recieve fire by using tools like selective thinning and prescribed fire. These proactive efforts help our forests better withstand and even benefit from wildfire.

In ponderosa pine ecosystems, creating these conditions is already making a difference—reducing fire severity and supporting more resilient landscapes for the future. Read more at the link in bio.