We are partnering to make our forests resilient, protect communities and keep our water supplies reliable.
We are working across land ownerships to increase the scale and pace of forest restoration by bringing fire back into our watershed management toolbox.
Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative (NCFC) participants represent federal, state, and local government agencies; nonprofit organizations; university-based entities; and watershed coalitions. The full NCFC meets three to four times a year. Participation is not contingent on committee membership.
Vision
Northern Colorado watersheds that can support wildfires without causing long term damage to watershed services and communities.
Mission
Our mission is to create resilient landscapes by facilitating an increase in the pace and scale of not only mechanical fuel reduction methods but also prescribed fires and strategically managed wildland fires across jurisdictional boundaries.
Fireshed Charter
This Charter describes the purpose and need for the Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative (NCFC) and sets forth operating guidelines for stakeholders and members. Upon adoption, it will replace the previous Collaborative Framework of the NCFC adopted December 11, 2020. The need for this update stems from growth within the NCFC, as well as opportunities presented by the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) in 2021 and subsequent Master Participating Agreement (effective July 20, 2022) and Supplemental Project Agreement (effective August 15, 2022) between the USDA Forest Service Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland (ARP) and the National Forest Foundation (NFF). These agreements facilitate the movement of resources to capacity and on-the-ground implementation by establishing the NFF as fiduciary of a Northern Colorado Fireshed Fund (the Fund). This Charter operationalizes the movement of resources granted or donated with the support of the NFF.
Core to the purpose of each committee is to identify barriers and solutions to implement prescribed fire successfully in a highly populated urban interface and at a pace and scale adequate to meet the challenge of wildland fire.
Steering Committee Members:
Chaska Huayhuaca-Frye, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute
Corrina Marshall, Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative/The Ember Alliance
Allen Gallamore, Colorado State Forest Service
Max Erickson, Colorado State Forest Service
Hally Strevey, Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed
Megan Maiolo-Heath, Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed
The Northern Colorado Fireshed Investment Committee will make recommendations to the NFF for Fund investments based on funding proposals received from NCFC partners. The Investment Committee will coordinate the process of developing requests for proposals, soliciting and/or inviting proposals, and will set forth the submission requirements. The Investment Committee will apply criteria informed by the Steering Committee to evaluate proposals to determine alignment with priorities and relative merit. NFF will track and communicate specific requirements for each funding source to the Investment Committee (e.g., geography restrictions, reporting requirements, etc.).
The Northern Colorado Fireshed Fund was established in partnership with the National Forest Foundation and the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests to support the activities of the Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative. The Fund allows the Fireshed Collaborative to cultivate and allocate diverse funding sources to support activities that advance its mission and helps to achieve impacts at the large landscape level and across jurisdictional boundaries.
