The Boulder County Community Wildfire Protection Plan is available below.
Boulder County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (18 MB)
Boulder County Community Wildfire Protection Plan Appendicies (8 MB)
This plan is the result of the hard work of hundreds of residents, stakeholders, and agency staff. An estimated 122 individuals directly contributed to the contents of the plan’s 16 chapters, 10 appendices, 45 maps, 10 videos, 20 figures and tables, 41 photos, and 29 text boxes. Others provided input to and/or reviewed drafts of the document.
We owe special thanks to members of the plan’s Core Team, Citizen Advisory Team, Foresters Work Group, and Risk Assessment Work Group for their dedication and vision.
Core Team
| Bob Bundy |
Colorado State Forest Service |
| Megan Davis |
Boulder County Board of County Commissioners |
| Pete Fogg |
Boulder County Land Use Department |
| Brett Haberstick |
Sunshine Fire Protection District |
| Chad Julian |
Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department |
| Ryan Ludlow |
Boulder County Land Use Department |
| Brian Oliver |
City of Boulder Fire and Rescue |
| Anita Riley |
Boulder County Transportation Department |
| Jay Stalnacker |
Boulder County Sheriff’s Office |
| Jim Webster |
Boulder County Land Use Department |
| Kevin Zimlinghaus |
U.S. Forest Service |
Citizen Advisory Team
The Citizen Advisory Team was comprised of 16 residents from across the county. They included:
| Alan Brown |
Eldorado Springs |
| Matthew Cox |
City of Boulder |
| Edie Eilender |
Gold Hill |
| Joyce Gellhorn |
Boulder Heights |
| Marca Hagenstad |
Nederland |
| Susan Holley |
Sugar Loaf |
| Margaret Huntting |
Allenspark |
| Stan Huntting |
Allenspark |
| Gwen Jaques |
Old Town Longmont |
| Haydee Kuner |
Sunshine Canyon |
| Alison Layman |
City of Boulder |
| Mikii Schoech |
Sunshine Canyon |
| Pamela Sherman |
Gold Hill |
| Abby Silver |
Sunshine Canyon |
| Patricia Stephen |
Boulder Heights |
| Steve Szabo |
Rural Longmont |
The Advisory Team was open to all interested residents who were willing to make the necessary commitment to the process. There were no eligibility requirements and everyone who submitted a commitment letter participated.
The team held monthly meetings from January to April 2011. The team started with 44 policy and programmatic recommendations submitted by county residents via an online form. They evaluated, researched, refined, and prioritize these ideas, along with additional recommendations proposed by team members.
In the end, the team delivered 13 priority recommendations that were discussed in a study session with Boulder County Commissioners on May 3, 2011. The recommendations were forwarded to the Core Team for further consideration, and they were included in the final plan.
Foresters Work Group
| Bob Bundy |
Colorado State Forest Service |
| Chuck Dennis |
Private Consultant, Forest Restoration Solutions, former Colorado State Forest Service |
| Craig Jones |
Private Consultant, Biomass Specialist, former Colorado State Forest Service |
| Chad Julian |
Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department |
| Brian Oliver |
City of Boulder Fire and Rescue |
| Alan Owen |
Colorado State Forest Service |
| Ben Pfohl |
Colorado State Forest Service |
| Eric Philips |
Boulder County Land Use Department |
| Chris Wanner |
City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Department |
| Kevin Zimlinghaus |
U.S. Forest Service |
| Jim Webster |
Boulder County Land Use Department (facilitator) |
Risk Assessment Work Group
| Bob Bundy |
Colorado State Forest Service |
| David Haines |
Boulder County Land Use Department |
| Chad Julian |
Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department |
| Kevin Krasnow |
Forest Fuels and Wildfire Simulation Specialist |
| Eric Philips |
Boulder County Land Use Department |
| John Staight |
Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department |
| Chris Wanner |
City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Department |
| Amy Weaver |
Boulder County Land Use Department |
| Kevin Zimlinghaus |
U.S. Forest Service |
| Jim Webster |
Boulder County Land Use Department (facilitator) |
Wildfire Videos
Interns from the University of Colorado’s School of Journalism have produced a number of videos about the Fourmile Fire, other fires in Boulder County, and wildfire mitigation and preparedness.
Everyone who is interested in wildfire protection should watch these videos to learn what residents of Boulder County have experienced and learned about living in the wildland-urban interface.
We take a look back at the Black Tiger, Olde Stage, and Walker Ranch fires. From the Fourmile Fire, we tell the dramatic stories of the “Saving of Gold Hill,” residents whose homes were both lost and saved, and homeowners motivated to undertake additional mitigation work.
We would like to extend a special thanks to Beth Bartel, Elly Collins, Jon Hoover, and Marisa McNatt for all their hard work and special talents that enabled them to produce such compelling stories.
Insuring Your Home Against Wildfire
One of the most important lessons learned from the Fourmile Fire is that most homes are dramatically and systematically underinsured against wildfire.
A survey of individuals who lost their homes in the Fourmile Fire found that over 60% were underinsured by an average of more than $160,000. This finding is not unique: In wildfire after wildfire throughout the country the problem of underinsurance leads to untold financial hardship.
The common perception among members of the general public is, losing your home in a wildfire is tragic, but at least those impacted have insurance and will be able to rebuild. People aren’t aware of the financial hardships that ensue. The biggest shock, however, comes to residents who lose their homes and learn that they are not adequately covered. They have been paying their insurance premiums for years and are satisfied with their insurance company only to learn that their policy just covers a percentage of their losses.
Watch this video and learn what you need to do to properly insure your home against wildfire.
Fuels Treatment Projects Map
View the Google Map of Fuels Treatment Projects in Boulder County.
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