Wildfire Mitigation

Proponents say the costs of drought and wildfires are only increasing, but critics of the measure worry that the TABOR exemption could draw funds away from other important priorities.

Colorado voters have a long ballot this year, with 14 statewide ballot measures covering issues ranging from taxes and government spending to hunting, immigration and criminal penalties.

The Colorado River Wildfire Collaborative hired a program manager to raise funds for mitigation work between Glenwood Springs and De Beque. That region is one of the most fire-prone in the state, and has lacked the resources to address the risk.

Gov. Jared Polis signs an executive order to address a spreading mountain pine beetle outbreak threatening ponderosa pine forests along Colorado’s Front Range.

Major fire mitigation projects have been completed throughout the Roaring Fork Valley, but many insurers don't know about those initiatives. A new portal could identify which neighborhoods have invested in wildfire prevention.

This week on Regional Roundup: What Trump’s push to defund public media means for community radio, how prescribed burns help reduce wildfire risk, the toll of untested rape kits, and a springtime search for snakes.

Governor Polis signs a bill to protect educators from pressure to remove books from school libraries, while Cortez renews its Urban Forestry program. Other updates include health-related resignations in Arizona, a proposed tobacco tax delay in the Navajo Nation, and wildfire mitigation efforts across the West.

Federal crews are using prescribed burns near Aspen to reduce wildfire risk and improve wildlife habitat. But staffing cuts in the Forest Service and funding issues could jeopardize these efforts.

This week on Regional Roundup: protests in Denver and Salt Lake City, hazard mitigation planning in the West, a social media regulation bill in Colorado, and land conservation efforts in Colorado and Wyoming.

Rural communities in the Rocky Mountain West, like Leadville, rely on federal funds for climate resilience, including wildfire and storm mitigation. However, Trump-era cuts threaten these efforts.