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Monthly Update

August 2022

SUMMARY

The first RMRI in-person meeting in years will be held Oct. 4-6 in Durango. The Colorado State Forest Service is now accepting applications for the Forest Restoration and Wildlife Risk Mitigation grant program. The RMRI Partner, Colorado Youth Corps Association, received $1.7 million from the American Rescue Plan to launch the Colorado Climate Corps. Montrose Forest Products is retrofitting its mill to run on its own wood chips. RMRI bids farewell to outgoing Partners Aaron Kimple at Mountain Studies Institute and Kate McIntire of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

PARTNERS & LANDSCAPES

RMRI Partners increase the pace and scale of restoration work on these three large landscapes across Colorado: RMRI-Southwest, RMRI-Upper Arkansas and RMRI-Upper South Platte. This is their work.

Oct. 4-6, 2022 – RMRI in-person Partner & Leadership Team meeting/field trip RMRI

RMRI is planning the first in-person RMRI Partners Meeting in years. The multi-day event will be held in Durango. If you are interested in attending, email RestoreTheRockies@gmail.com. Past meeting summaries at https://restoringtherockies.org/meeting-summaries.

 

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Aaron Kimple of MSI departs for ERI

RMRI, the RMRI-SW landscape and the Mountain Studies Institute (MSI) bid farewell to Aaron Kimple. Aaron leaves his position as with MSI to take on a new job opportunity with the Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes. He will stay in Durango with his family serving as a Program Director. Dana Guinn (dana@mountainstudies.org) and Anthony Culpepper (anthony@mountainstudies.org) assume Aaron’s responsibilities. We wish the bets of luck to Aaron Kimple and his family.

 

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CSFS kicks off FRWRM

The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) is now accepting applications for the Forest Restoration and Wildlife Risk Mitigation (FRWRM) grant program. The Colorado Legislature established FRWRM in 2017. FRWRM provides state support through competitive grant funds that encourage community-level actions across the state. The application period is August 17 – Oct. 19, 2022. Awards will be made by March 31, 2023. The Request for Applications (RFA), application templates and instructions are posted here.

 

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CYCA to launch Colorado Climate Corps

The RMRI Partner, Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA), received $1.7 million from the American Rescue Plan to launch the Colorado Climate Corps. AmeriCorps recently announced that they will provide funding to the Colorado Climate Corps as part of their regular budget for three years, starting in 2023. CYCA has had challenges filling open positions while competing with jobs that provide a better wage.

 

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RMRI bids farewell to Kate McIntire of NWTF

RMRI Coordinator Kate McIntire will be transitioning from the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) to the State of Colorado as the Northern Mountains Regional Manager for the Division of Local Affairs. Her last day with the NWTF will be Sept 2, 2022. Kate said it is a very bittersweet move, but looks forward to continued work collaborating with Partners across the state on many of the same values shared by RMRI. If you'd like to stay in touch with Kate, her email is katemcintire24@gmail.com. The NWTF is currently working on a plan to ensure this transition is as smooth as possible. 

 

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USPP finalizes Protocols paving way for improved collaboration RMRI-Upper South Platte

The Upper South Platte Partnership (USPP) completed its review and updates of it Structures and Protocols document originally created in 2015, reflecting changes in the partnership’s evolution. USPP’s next Management & Science Team meeting, Sept. 1, is dedicated to reviewing prioritization areas and identifying new potential collaborative projects. If interested, contact USPP Watershed Coordinator, Audrey Miles-Cherney, at 720-403-4609, a.miles_cherney@colostate.edu.

 

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FACO hiring training assistant

Fire Adapted Colorado is seeking a motivated trainer and facilitator to serve as a Training Specialist to help Coloradans navigate wildfire resilience now and into the future. The Training Specialist will lead learning opportunities for wildfire mitigation specialists and other industry professionals. More…

 

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Partners restore campsites near Buena Vista RMRI-Upper Arkansas

Game Trail residents, Chaffee Rec Rangers from the USFS, and Chaffee County Fire Protection District staff helped clean up the recreation area along CR 365 west of Buena Vista. North Cottonwood Creek is the source for Buena Vista’s water supply, and the drainage has high wildfire danger due to dense forest conditions. The group downsized dozens of campfire rings and spruced up about 50 campsites. The Chaffee Recreation Rangers program started in 2021 under the Chaffee Recreation Council to address soaring visitation as public lands budgets remained flat.

 

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Rec Rangers focus on visitor education in 2nd season RMRI-Upper Arkansas

The Chaffee Recreation Rangers program is in full swing this summer with eight seasonal full-time staff patrolling public lands in Chaffee County. The program started in 2021 under the Chaffee Recreation Council to address soaring visitation as public lands budgets remained flat. The Rec Rangers last year contacted 1,000 visitors, installed nearly 3,500 feet of buck-and-rail fence, maintained or installed more than 270 signs, and dismantled 125 campfire rings between April and October. More…


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BEST PRACTICE: Rec Adopters’ sign-up map & mobile app help monito, growing visitation RMRI-Upper Arkansas

You can help land managers address the impacts of visitation to Chaffee County’s public lands when you go to the Chaffee Rec Adopters webpage and click on your favorite recreation area to sign up. Like “Adopt-A-Trail,” the program allows the public to be active participants in preserving the beauty and value of recreational lands. Adopters can sign up to steward their favorite recreation lands in Chaffee County. “Adopters” use the Chaffee Rec Collector App to monitor campsites and other conditions on their adopted lands. Each app entry, called a “survey,” is aggregated in an online dashboard to support planning and management by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area. Volunteers can join group cleanup events or steward lands on their own.

 

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MFP invests in biomass utilization RMRI-SW

Montrose Forest Products partners with RMRI to foster healthy, functioning forests to support suitable wildlife habitat and populations. Today, MFP is working on a $15 million project to retrofit the mill to run on its own wood chips. As a leader in biomass utilization, the mill will be capable of producing 1.25 megawatts of electricity—enough to be self-sustaining. The biomass-fired energy plant will be able to produce both the required heat and electricity for the sawmill manufacturing processes. 

The latest edition of The Source,

RMRI's quarterly newsletter.

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In this issue of The Source, we focus on RMRI Partners in each of RMRI's three Colorado landscapes in the Southwest, Upper Arkansas and Upper South Platte.

Read The Source today!

IN THE NEWS

A Model in Conservation

The Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative continues to build steam, impacting forest restoration and water resources in the West. More…

 

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State grants $1 million for wildfire mitigation projects in Montezuma County

The Mancos Conservation District has been awarded $1 million grant from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources to conduct wildfire mitigation projects in Montezuma County. The grant and projects are in partnership with the Dolores Watershed Resilient Forest Collaborative, Wildfire Adapted Partnership and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Mancos is in the RMRI-SW landscape. More…

SUBCOMMITTEE UPDATES

Workforce Capacity Subcommittee

 

Workforce Capacity Subcommittee June 28, 2022, meeting notes here.


  • Molly Pitts, Colorado Timber Industry Association (CTIA), and Tim Reader, Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS), presented June 29 to the Colorado Forest Health Council committee on workforce issues. They may present at a full Colorado Forest Health Council meeting in the future. The Colorado Forest Health Council is a collaborative forum created to advise the Governor, through the Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources, and the Colorado General Assembly, on issues, opportunities, and threats to Colorado’s forests.


  • Molly Pitts is working with Nick Olson, Southwest Conservation Corps, to send out a survey to determine how to best get information to youth corps members on industry jobs. Meanwhile, Nathan Van Schaik, U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and Molly Pitts are working on developing brochures on the forest industry. The purpose of the brochures is to distribute them at career fairs, such as CSU’s natural resources career fair. The brochures could also be distributed to military recruiters, headhunters, and workforce development centers. The USFS is also hiring a recruiter for Region 2. The Subcommittee will discuss the logistics (e.g., printing costs) and strategy for distributing a brochure once it is ready.


EVENTS

August 23-25 Colorado Water Congress Summer Conference

Annual summer conference takes place in Steamboat Springs, CO. More…


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CO Forest Collaboratives Regional Forum

The purpose of the Colorado Forest Collaboratives Network is to benefit and support place-based forest collaboratives in Colorado by connecting them to information, resources, and each other, and by telling their stories to make their value and needs understood. Building on the Situation Assessment, provide input on next steps. At these meetings, the group will map partner relationships across the state, workshop ideas for how the Network can best support Colorado’s forest collaboratives, and walk away with actionable next steps for the Network moving forward. Details here. Join a regional forum:

 

  • Durango – Thursday, Sept. 1
  • Fort Collins – Tuesday, Sept. 13
  • Colorado Springs – Thursday, Sept. 15
  • Glenwood Springs – Thursday, Sept. 27

 

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Sept. 7, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. RMRI Biomass Utilization Subcommittee

RMRI invites you to the next RMRI Biomass meeting via Zoom Sept. 7, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Request to join the meeting at restoretherockies@gmail.com. Past meeting summaries and more at https://restoringtherockies.org/biomass-utilization-subcommittee


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Sept. 8, 9-11 a.m. RMRI Workforce Capacity Subcommittee

RMRI invites you to the next RMRI Workforce Capacity meeting via Zoom Sept. 8, from 9-11 a.m. Request to join the meeting at restoretherockies@gmail.com. Past meeting summaries and more at https://restoringtherockies.org/workforce-capacity-subcommittee.

 

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Oct. 4-6, 2022 – RMRI in-person Partner & Leadership Team meeting/field trip RMRI is planning the first in-person RMRI Partners Meeting in years. The multi-day event will be held in Durango. If you are interested in attending, email RestoreTheRockies@gmail.com. Past meeting summaries at https://restoringtherockies.org/meeting-summaries.

 

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October 11-12 2022 Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference

Located at the Westin in Avon, Colorado, the theme this year is, Bridging Connections: Learning from the Past, Investing in the Future. More…

 

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April 11-14 2023 Colorado Wildland Fire Conference

Main conference session is April 12-13 w/pre- and post-con workshops and tours. Theme: Accelerating Adaptation and Managing Expectations. Details at www.wildfire-colorado.com.

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

The following 2022 Colorado legislative outcomes was provided by the Colorado Department of Natural Resources at the June 15 RMRI virtual meeting.

 

Wildlife

 

Passed:

 

  • SB22-151: Safe Crossings For Colorado Wildlife And Motorists
  • HB22-1072: Reauthorized the Habitat Partnership Program
  • SB22-166: Reauthorizes the nongame tax checkoff
  • HB22-1329 (budget): Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnerships Program (CPW) - $860,000 and 1.0 FTE
  • HB22-1329 (budget): Implementing Big Game Policy Report Recommendations - $1.15m and 8.0 FTE


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Recreation

 

Passed:

 

  • SB22-168: Backcountry Search And Rescue - $1 million to support BSAR volunteers
  • HB22-1329 (budget): Support Outdoor Recreation and Conservation (CPW) - $5.9 million and 15.5 FTE
  • HB22-1329 (budget): Supporting Access to Sweetwater Lake - $515k and 3.3FTE


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Colorado State Forest Service Programs

 

Failed:

 

  • HB22-1166: Incentives Promote Colorado Timber Industry


·      Passed:

 

  • Forest Restoration & Wildfire Risk Mitigation (FRWRM) Grant Program: (Statewide) ~$15M available in 2022-23
  • HB22-1011: Wildfire Mitigation Incentives For Local Governments. $10M to match local funding for wildfire mitigation
  • HB22-1007: Assistance Landowner Wildfire Mitigation. CSFS grant program for local outreach & education + homeowner fuels reduction tax credit
  • SB22-007: Increase Wildfire Risk Mitigation Outreach Efforts. CSFS and DFPC enhance state wildfire risk awareness campaigns


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Wildfires


Failed:

 

  • SB22-080: Funding for wildfire investigations


Passed:

 

  • SB22-206: Disaster Preparedness And Recovery Resources - post-disaster rebuilding
  • SB22-114: Fire Suppression Ponds Water Rights - allows board of county commissioners to apply to the state engineer for the designation of a pond as a fire suppression pond

  

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Watersheds - Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB)

 

Passed:

 

  • HB22-1379: Wildfire Prevention Watershed Restoration Funding. $10M to address post-fire watershed restoration and advance a landscape scale approach to building Wildfire Ready Watersheds. $5M to support and empower local governments, districts, and non-profits to leverage federal Infrastructure Bill funding through direct grants and technical assistance.
  • Long bill - Increase of $800,000 and 9.0 FTE at CWCB and DWR to provide regional support for the Water Plan Grant Program and the development of high-quality water projects
  • SB22-028: Groundwater Compact Compliance Fund. Provides relief for farmers and ranchers in the Republican and Rio Grande Basins.
  • HB22-1151: Turf Replacement Program. Directs the Colorado Water Conservation board to provide $2 million for state matching funds for turf replacement programs to promote water-wise landscaping.

SUBMISSIONS, QUESTIONS & FEEDBACK

If you would like your work highlighted in this monthly email update, submit to RMRI communication manager, Nathan Van Schaik, at nathaniel.vanschaik@usda.gov. Or, to discuss any communications issues or concerns, contact Nathan via email or at (720) 584-6571.

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RMRI is a Shared Stewardship pilot project that mobilizes 40+ Partners across federal, state, Tribal and local jurisdictions to increase pace and scale of forest restoration. Partners direct investments at improving a few larger landscapes rather than make slow progress in multiple small places. RMRI Partners plan together, prioritize together and act together. Partners are restoring landscapes in the RMRI-Southwest, RMRI-Upper Arkansas and RMRI-Upper South Platte landscapes.

Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative

RestoringTheRockies.org

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