Bridging the Divide:
Growing from the Ashes
September 7th, 5-8 pm
September 8th, 9 am – 3 pm
Wolf Creek Ski Area & South Fork Visitors Center
Note: This event was originally scheduled for June 22-23rd, but due to multiple active fires in the area has been rescheduled for September 7-8th.
Although FREE, registration is required for both events so that we can make sure to have enough food. Register HERE.
Mountain Studies Institute, San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership, Firewise of Southwest Colorado, Southern Rockies Fire Science Network, and the Rio Grande and San Juan National Forests are offering communities affected by the 2013 West Fork Fire an opportunity to discuss the history of the fire, current conditions, and what the future may bring.
Join us from 5:00 – 8:00 pm on September 7th for FREE FOOD, BEER and Conversation at the Wolf Creek Ski Area. Sponsored by Riff Raff Brewing Co, Three Barrels Brewing, and the Wolf Creek Ski Area.
In 2002, the Million Fire burned 9,346 acres near South Fork, CO, costing $9.8 million in firefighting costs. In 2013, the same area was struck by the West Fork Fire Complex, which burned over 109,049 acres of the San Juan and Rio Grande National Forests and cost over $31 million. Five and 16 years later, we are bringing together communities, land managers, and scientists from both sides of the continental divide to reflect on the Million and West Fork fires, discuss post-burn treatments and changes to the landscape, and think about the future of our communities and forests.
On September 8th, from 9:00am to 3:00pm, there will be an opportunity to tour the burn areas with resource specialists, emergency responders, community members and land managers.
We will meet at the South Fork Visitor Center, organize into vans, and drive to diverse burn areas to talk about the effects of the fire, how the burn area is recovering, and how communities are adapting. Lunch will be provided by the San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership and Firewise of Southwest Colorado. Wear appropriate shoes, be prepared for weather, and if you have a hard hat, please bring it along.
To watch a video series on the West Fork Fire Complex created by the Southern Rockies Fire Science Network, go here.
