Nathan Whittington, Gilpin County Emergency Manager talks to us about preparedness from the Wildfire Preparedness Workshop  (Presentation 15 Months 2019).  

by Jody Dickson In October, I was able to participate in a “Train the Trainer” workshop hosted by the Pike Peak Wildfire Prevention Partners.  While the theme was how to teach about wildfire mitigation, we mostly talked about effective ways to teach about community risk reduction.  I was hoping to get some insight about what motivates people to prioritize and do mitigation work on their property.  Of course, there are no easy answers.  Just like with financial investing, we each have a different level of risk we are willing to tolerate in our lives.  Also, we all have an optimism bias where we overestimate that good things will happen and…

by Heather Hanson It’s November and we had our warning storm. Over here, by the K-8, we got seven and a half inches. Pinecliffe saw nine and a half, and Nederland met with nine point five. Now is the time to get the things you want away from the elements, inside. November is also the time to get your volunteer fire department application in. This year the deadline is November 26th. Volunteer firefighters are the backbone of our safety and wellbeing in the canyon. Coal Creek Canyon history is full of brave citizenry fighting to keep the canyon prepared for fires. In 1957, “Freelance” fireman, Andrew Nawyn, built a 300…

by Linda Martin / Heather Hanson Although it is pushing eighty degrees today in the canyon; the colors of the turning leaves, and wild turkeys running around, let us know it is definitely Fall! As we dream of snowflakes, we are still very much under threat of wildfires. The heat, falling dead leaves, and blustery conditions are a sobering wildfire recipe for our canyon, and our state. One of the most useful things you can do to protect your home, and your neighbor’s, is to practice defensible space. Defensible space can suggest alternate paths for a fire to follow away from your house. Any action is worthwhile for the health…

We have decided not to host the Forest / Fire Ecology field trip on May 7th.  In order to produce the most meaningful and effective event for the people who would like to go on the tour, we would like your input.  Please complete this very short survey to let us know when and what you would like us to cover. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MZFGNT6 Thank you for your interest and your input. Your Saws & Slaws team

Saws & Slaws was awarded by BoCo Strong in September 2015, as one of two commendable Community Resilience Projects who are actively engaging in building community, anticipating risk, taking actions to limit impact of flood and forest fires, and bouncing forward rapidly by adapting and learning in the face of disruptive shocks and stresses. This has opened the door for Saws & Slaws to partner more closely with not only Boulder County government, but also with multiple other Boulder County community volunteer organizations focused on community and personal resilience for county residents. On Friday, May 13, 2016, Saws & Slaws was represented by Cesar Gellido, Jody Dickson, and Rebecca Jessep…

For a fifth year, Boulder County has most generously awarded Coal Creek Canyon Saws & Slaws with funding to support the chipping that occurs at our events. This year we were honored with funding for both our standard events as well as a couple of curbside chipping events. We have found that the most effective and efficient way to deal with the slash we generate at an event is to chip it onsite. We typically hire a professional in order to benefit from the larger chippers that can process slash very quickly. We can use these Boulder County funds to pay for 50% of the expense of these services. (We…