« Local News Round-Up for Fri., Oct. 19, 2007 | Main | D-11 School Board Candidates Forum, 10/16/07 »
Bi-Partisan, Multi-State Plea for Federal Fire Danger Money
October 19, 2007 5:06 PM
Photo by: Don Goede
Despite a couple of local grassfires this week, and small flare-up in Manitou in September, Colorado has been relatively wildfire-free this year. The 14,000 total acres that burned here is about four times fewer acres than burned in New Mexico, and far smaller than the 615,000 acres that torched in Utah. But one good year doesn't mean fire danger has gone away. On Friday, Oct. 19, a bi-partisan group of Congressional reps and Senators sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service urging full funding of hazardous fuels reduction projects in the Rocky Mountain Region. Colorado's delegation was joined by counterparts in Wyoming and South Dakota. Colorado College Student Jaimie Stevenson reports that locally, the Pike San Isabel National Forest is looking at a 12% cut in its fuels reduction budget from last year, and that fuels reduction projects probably didn't have much impact on the mild fire season this year.
[LISTEN]
Posted by Eric Whitney on October 19, 2007 5:06 PM | Permalink
