Over the past year, I had the privilege of serving as the Forestry Fellow for the Community Navigator Initiative through Coalitions & Collaboratives (COCO). This initiative supports frontline communities across the United States in accessing resources to better prepare for and respond to wildfires and other environmental threats. As part of this role, I worked closely with the San Luis Valley Wildfire Council in southern Colorado—a region both ecologically rich and deeply vulnerable to wildfire risk. This fellowship offered me the opportunity to contribute to collaborative wildfire mitigation efforts in a region where coordination is as essential as it is challenging.

The San Luis Valley is a region nestled between the San Juan and  Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges. Traveling down from the 14,000 ft peaks above sea level you’ll find a vast range of geographic features including the Great Sand Dunes National Park, the headwaters of the Rio Grande, and the largest alpine valley in North America. The composition of this area is 49% rangeland, 35% forest, and 9% agricultural (CDTC 2024).  The complex ecosystem in this 6 county area (Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache, Alamosa, Conejos, and Costillia) brings a variety of peoples, cultures, and priorities that can make collaboration complex, but vital to effectively prepare and protect communities from catastrophic wildfires. In the San Luis Valley, there are 20 Community Wildfire Protection Plans, 16 volunteer fire protection districts, and six county-based emergency managers; each holding slightly different vantage points for wildfire readiness and mitigation, including fuel reduction and wildfire suppression. These are critical efforts, but coordinating across agencies and counties better allow for effective landscape-scale improvements to wildfire protection (Moore 2024).  Hence the formation of the  San Luis Valley Wildfire Council in 2019. Members are representatives from different land managers in the area, including the Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, the County Emergency Management offices, the Colorado State Forest Service, and private landowners. 

Despite strong representation from local, state, and federal agencies, the San Luis Valley has long faced significant gaps in funding and resources—making the already complex challenge of wildfire management even more daunting. Council members often juggle multiple responsibilities, wearing many hats to keep collaborative efforts alive and moving forward. Recognizing the need for additional capacity, the San Luis Valley Wildfire Council began seeking support to help sustain momentum and coordination across its diverse stakeholders. That’s where I came in.

During my year-long fellowship, I provided that added capacity by helping streamline communications and reduce the administrative burden on council members. I ensured that important opportunities—like funding announcements, site visits, and community outreach—weren’t lost in the daily demands of wildfire preparedness and response. I also facilitated the council’s bi-monthly meetings by developing agendas, tracking attendance, recording minutes, and sharing updates with members unable to attend. In addition, I helped bring in guest speakers to enrich council discussions, such as Karola Hands of the Colorado WUI Code Board, who presented on forthcoming regulations, and Tyler Beeton from the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, who led a workshop on Potential Operational Delineations (PODs). Each of these efforts aimed to strengthen the council’s collective impact and deepen collaboration across the region.

My time working with the San Luis Valley Wildfire Council was both humbling and inspiring. While my role provided just a small measure of support to an incredibly hard-working and dedicated group, I witnessed firsthand the importance of collaboration in addressing complex environmental challenges. Supporting the council’s efforts—whether through communication, meeting facilitation, or stakeholder engagement—allowed me to contribute to the resilience of a unique and diverse landscape. It was an honor to learn from the passionate individuals who are deeply invested in protecting the Valley, and to be part of a community striving toward a safer, more sustainable future.