On a 40 acre parcel of private land in Evergreen, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Governor Jared Polis presented how his administration has funded fire mitigation projects through the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program, or COSWAP.
The program awards grant money to various groups and counties hoping to decrease the risk of large wildfires. Over $17 million in grants was made available through SB21-258 in 2021, and Polis said the program is even more necessary in light of the destruction Colorado has faced over the last two years.
“We know that that is more important now than ever before. In the summer of 2020, our state experienced the three largest wildfires in the history of our state. And just last December, we experienced the most destructive fire in the history of our state, the Marshall Fire. For Colorado and for the west, this is really the new normal,” Polis said Monday.
Standing to his left was one of the many arms of fire mitigation and conservation in Colorado — members of the Colorado Youth Corps Association.
Paolo Zialcita/CPR News