Action, Implementation & Mitigation
AIMing for better wildfire outcomes before, during & after a fire.
About AIM
Developed in partnership with Federal, State, and regional partners, AIM increases local capacity and supports wildfire risk reduction in high-risk communities. COCO provides direct support to place-based wildfire mitigation organizations through:
Passthrough grant funding
On-site engagement
Mentoring and training on community wildfire mitigation best practices
Ongoing support to ensure local program sustainability
Technical expertise to help communities achieve resiliency goals
From building partnerships to working with residents to developing programs on a shoestring, you are the people and organizations accomplishing amazing things. We will continue to highlight your challenges, your needs, and your work. Without people like you, mitigation cannot move forward. We will continue to support the capacity of place-based organizations. Outcomes to COCO are not solely based on acre counts.
Money sure helps to get work done, however, funding is not the only resource needed. Communities and organizations need the financial ability to be nimble, to respond when opportunities arise, and to be able to adapt to the changing landscape. In turn, we all need support and guidance when challenges arise.
The AIM program can support your efforts far beyond the funding through our Mitigation Mentors Program. If you have questions, need technical assistance, or just want to talk, we are here for you.
An action-based, non-nonsense, group of wildfire mitigation practitioners focused on developing real solutions to the wildfire crisis.
A program focused on increasing the diversity and amount of funding to scale up mitigation activities.
direct support to place-based wildfire mitigation organizations through pass-through grant funding, on-site engagement, mentoring, and training on proven best mitigation practices; provides ongoing mentoring and support to funded groups focused on accomplishing wildfire risk-reduction actions, in order to ensure programmatic sustainability at a local level; and provides technical expertise and subject matter expert resources to help high-risk communities achieve their wildfire adaptation goals.
Awards are intended to help accelerate fire-adapted community concepts, increase resiliency and local capacity and protect firefighters and communities. Funding will be provided to a wide array of organizations.
Your AIM Team
Wendie grew up in the sprawling town of Mosca, Colorado, and has degrees in water quality and aviation from Salem University and Pikes Peak State College. She has almost 20 years of experience working in the field of natural resources; with much of her work focused on pre-wildfire mitigation, post-wildfire mitigation, water quality, and hydrology. She stays busy in her downtime juggling all of her many hobbies.
Michaele has earned a B.A. in Liberal Studies with a Non-profit Organization Management Certificate from Central Washington University. This education pathway augments her valuable work experience in grant coordination and implementation with two land-grant universities. While serving the State of Tennessee as a Wildfire Mitigation Contractor, Michaele brought a unique passion and inspiration to communities working to reduce wildfire risk. Building capacity through strategic collaboration is one of her greatest assets, and she realizes the value of activated partnerships for effective conservation. Michaele works remotely from the beautiful hills of East Tennessee. Her free time usually involves an outdoor adventure in the mountains with her family.
Jonathan has a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Colorado and graduated from the Executive Leadership program at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Before helping to found and lead Coalitions and Collaboratives over the past decade, Jon served on the Coalition for the Upper South Platte leadership team. Jon also helped to found and is the team leader for the Community Mitigation Assistance Team (CMAT) on National Wildland Fire Assignments. He works closely with communities on forest health initiatives aimed at creating resilient forests and safer communities and works to restore lands impacted by recent wildfires and natural disasters. With over 20 years within emergency services, as a safety officer for a search and rescue team, and as a wildland firefighter, he continues to work at the intersection of emergency response and community preparedness.
Katie was born and raised in Colorado and loves to explore the many different landscapes the state has to offer. She obtained her master’s degree in Conservation Leadership from Colorado State University, and she is passionate about finding solutions to the environmental problems we face in a collaborative and equitable way. She previously worked at the Center for Collaborative Conservation, based out of CSU’s Warner College of Natural Resources as the Special Projects Coordinator.
Maria is a Colorado native and a CSU, Fort Collins graduate. She has earned her B.S. in Forestry, B.S. in Natural Resource Management, graduate certificate in Nonprofit Administration, and certificate in Women’s Leadership from Yale’s School of Executive Management. She’s built her career in education, outreach, and field experience working for The National Park Service, the Cascades Carnivore Project, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and El Paso County Nature Centers. Maria started work with COCO in 2019 and spent her first few years working with the Action, Implementation, and Mitigation (AIM) Program, mostly on capacity-building and grant maintenance. She was promoted to the Outreach & Development Director in 2022. Maria also coordinates the After the Flames webinar series and in 2024, coordinated the second biannual After the Flames Conference & Workshop.
Her passion is rooted in people learning/growing/being outside. She strongly believes it is the small grassroots organizations making the largest impacts in the world. This is why she has loved working for COCO – it has been an honor to support and promote fellow conservation nonprofits generating the change needed for a healthier planet. Maria works remotely in Denver with her dogs, Kavik and Billy-Francis.