To ensure neighborhoods are protected against destructive wildfires, fire officials in Allenspark sent a strong message to its 150 or so residents: agree to implement mitigation efforts to protect property and surrounding forests or run the risk of being last on the list to receive help.
“We have to get a plan in place,” said Stan Huntting, 65, of Allenspark, one of 20 volunteers who developed the town’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
The group wants to educate residents on fire protection projects, as well as attract sources to fund them. “We have problems we can’t take care of by ourselves,” Huntting said.
The town, near Rocky Mountain National Park, has its share of trees killed by pine beetles. Residents keep on the lookout for infested trees and move quickly to isolate and dispose of them.
Now the community wildfire protection plan will help residents minimize property damage and wildfires, as well as present safer conditions for firefighters.
Included in the plan, which has been developed over the past year, are recommendations for neighborhoods and individual properties, such as cutting down trees and shrubs to create fuel breaks.
It also includes language that strongly nudges residents to participate, implying that people who do will have first dibs at available funds: “(T)hose properties who owners decide to take action will be recognized as community priorities.”
The plans will be reviewed by Boulder County and the Colorado State Forest Service.
Having such a comprehensive plan increases the chances of funding for projects; however, it doesn’t guarantee it, said Katherine Timm, a supervisor at the Colorado State Forest Service.
“However, these communities are definitely more attractive,” she added.
Unofficially the town has been promised $10,000 next week from the Colorado Park Service for planning purposes.
Huntting expects the final plan to be handed over to the approval agencies one month after resident input is incorporated into the plan.
A public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.
He says he’s confident about the plan’s approval and trusts the community will come together.
“The praise is piling up, and there has not been one negative comment,” Huntting said. “But the real test will be” on Tuesday.
Steve Graff: 303-954-1661 or sgraff@denverpost.com
