Our History

The Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council formed following the

Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Roundtable and Conference

in Steamboat Springs, May of 2019.

At the conference, resource professionals, county and city stakeholders and the general public gathered to assess the wildfire mitigation needs of Routt County and provide information on fire mitigation and management.

The Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council is comprised of county and city representatives, local state and federal officials, non-governmental organizations, homeowners associations as well as local businesses and private landowners.

What we do

The mission of the Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council (RCWMC) is to create resilient fire-adapted communities to minimize potential impacts of wildfire.

RCWMC will work to facilitate fuel reduction by coordinating with all of our stakeholders to address the risk at a landscape level by working all the way down to the neighborhood level; provide resources, information and learning opportunities for individual landowners; and change social norms related to wildfire mitigation and preparedness in our community.

The Goals of the Council are to:

Increase partnerships and collaboration among individuals, property owners, and public, private, and nonprofit organizations to share information, identify risks, and prioritize and implement mitigation actions in Routt County.

Promote public awareness and understanding of wildfire risk to foster community-driven action to reduce risk and the impacts of wildfire in Routt County.

Support property owners through technical assistance to take action to protect their property from wildfire.

Coordinate countywide information on wildfire risk and the prioritization and completion of forest management projects to protect property, infrastructure, watersheds, and ecosystems.

Encourage local planning and land use and building codes to incorporate wildfire mitigation principles.

Membership

Board of Directors

Chair

Chuck Cerasoli

Fire Chief, Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue

Vice Chair

Scott Cowman

Director of Environmental Health, Routt County

Secretary

Carolina Manriquez

Forester, Colorado State Forest Service

Treasurer

Phil Lauinger

Citizen

Sarah Jones

Director of Sustainability and Community Engagement, Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation

Tim Sullivan

Natural Climate Solutions Director, Yampa Valley Sustainability Council

David “Mo” DeMorat

Emergency Manager, Routt County

Jeff Merage

Citizen

Brad Calvert

Principal Planner, City of Steamboat Springs

Staff

Executive Director

Josh Hankes

Program Manager

Halie Cunningham

Sponsors & Supporters

We wouldn’t exist without support from our primary grant funding and sponsors. While we receive strong grant funding, oftentimes those funds are very specific in their allowable usage. That’s where our local partners have been incredibly helpful. Flexible funds and in-kind support enable us to make strategic decisions and pursue opportunities as they arise.