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
Jeff Merage
Citizen, Yampa Valley Community Foundation Board Member
Vice Chair
Chuck Cerasoli
Fire Chief, Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue
Secretary
Carolina Manriquez
Forester, Colorado State Forest Service
Treasurer
Phil Lauinger
Citizen
Staff
Executive Director
Josh Hankes
Committees & chairs
Education & Outreach Committee
The Education and Outreach Committee leads the Council’s work to promote public awareness and understanding of wildfire risk to foster community-driven action to reduce risk and the impacts of wildfire in Routt County.
Members
Sarah Jones
Director of Sustainability and Community Engagement, Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation
Tim Sullivan
Natural Climate Solutions Director, Yampa Valley Sustainability Council
Values at Risk & Mitigation Committee
The Values at Risk Committee leads the Council’s work to support property owners through technical assistance to take action to protect their property from wildfire and helps to coordinate countywide information on wildfire risk and the prioritization and completion of forest management projects.
Members
Frank Alfone
General Manager, Mt Werner Water
Plans and Policies Committee
The Plans and Policies Committee leads the Council’s work to Encourage local planning and land use and building codes to incorporate wildfire mitigation principles and helps to coordinate countywide information on wildfire risk and the prioritization and completion of forest management projects.
Members
David “Mo” DeMorat
Emergency Manager, Routt County
Finance and Fundraising Committee
The Finance and Fundraising Committee works to protect the Council’s assets and provide proper financial oversight and reporting and helps to develop sustainable funding sources.
