Press Release- Jul 11, 2007
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 2007
Contact:
Evan Dreyer (Governor's Office), 720.350.8370
Katherine Timm (Colorado State Forest Service), 970.217.2874
Janelle Smith (US Forest Service), 303.275.5359
Denise Adamic (Bureau of Land Management), 303.239.3671
GOV. RITTER TOURS COLORADO FOREST AREAS BY AIR
With wildfire season underway, Gov. Bill Ritter today flew over several Colorado forests during an aerial tour with state and federal officials to see high-risk fire and bark-beetle infestation areas and to highlight wildfire-protection efforts.
The 90-minute flight passed over Evergreen, Granby, Kremmling, Vail, Breckenridge, Cheesman Reservoir and the region burned by the 2002 Hayman fire. The terrain included wildland-urban interface, or Red Zone, areas and a portion of the 660,000 acres of lodgepole pine forests impacted by the bark beetle.
To date this year, Colorado has experienced 561 wildfires that have burned 6,240 acres. Last year, the state had about 4,700 fires that burned 250,000 acres and caused $1.3 million in structure and content losses.
"I commend the local, state and federal agencies that are working hard to prevent and fight fires in Colorado," Gov. Ritter said. "This type of inter-agency cooperation is crucial to community protection and public safety."
Joining Gov. Ritter on today's fly-over: Colorado State Forester Jeff Jahnke; U.S. Bureau of Land Management State Director Sally Wisely; U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Regional Forester Rick Cables; Colorado Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Harris Sherman; and Gov. Ritter's chief of staff, Jim Carpenter.
"Health forests are extremely important to Colorado for many reasons," Gov. Ritter said. "Drought and the pine beetle have created some vulnerabilities, and we want to make sure we are doing all we can to protect people, homes and public and private lands."
Gov. Ritter urged homeowners, homeowner associations and other local groups to take responsibility for private property mitigation efforts. He encouraged community groups to apply for state matching grants available through House Bill 07-1130. The legislation created a $1 million Community Forest Restoration Fund for thinning, mitigation and safety projects.
"While the number of acres in need of treatment is daunting, local, state and federal land managers have the expertise and commitment to continue working together to address critical forest health and community and watershed protection challenges," State Forester Jeff Jahnke said.
"Our goal is healthy forests and safe communities," BLM State Director Wisely said. "It takes all of us working together to achieve that."
"Bugs, the bark beetle and fires do no respect jurisdictional boundaries," U.S. Forest Service Regional Forester Cables said. "Partnerships and inter-agency collaboration will help us protect communities, our tourism industry, our ski areas and our water sources."
Bureau of Land Management, Colorado
U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region
Colorado State Forest Service
Front Range Fuels Treatment Partnership
Colorado Bark Beetle Cooperative
Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center
Our Future Summit