Today’s forest health outreach update covers the following topics:
*October is Wildfire Awareness Month: The Kickoff to the 2012 Campaign!
*Forest Stewardship Tip of the Day: Win Prizes by Participating in the Wildfire Mitigation Challenge!
*October Wildfire Awareness Month: Calendar of Events and Activities

*October is Wildfire Awareness Month: The Kickoff to the 2012 Campaign! 
On September 6, 2011, the one year anniversary of the Fourmile Canyon Fire, Boulder County declared October as Wildfire Awareness Month. The idea for the month long awareness campaign came from citizens of Boulder County who understood the need for more education, stronger community involvement, and greater individual responsibility toward community wildfire protection.

We hope you enjoy and take part in the events and activities we have planned! We will rely on this email list to announce all events and activities and will be sending out a bit more frequent weekly emails during the month of October. 

*Forest Stewardship Tip of the Day: Win Prizes by Participating in the Wildfire Mitigation Challenge!
Forestry Tip of the Day: New in 2012, we are launching the Wildfire Mitigation Challenge. The Challenge encourages landowners to complete specific weekly wildfire mitigation tasks during the month of October. Signup for the Challenge and a chance to win prizes by visiting:  www.BoulderCountyWildfireAware.org.

Wildfire Mitigation Challenge Prizes include:
*Package Deal: Stihl MS250 18″ Chainsaw ($299.95 value), 6-Layer Safety Chaps ($89.95) and a Forestry Safety Helmet ($64.99). Total package retail value of $454.89!
*One Stihl FS45 Trimmer ($159.95).
*One $300 Gift Card to a local hardware store
*Seven $100 gift cards to local hardware stores
*Five $100 gift cards to Indian Peaks ACE Hardware

A special thanks goes to our sponsor Indian Peaks ACE hardware in Nederland for donating the Stihl forestry equipment!

Once signed up, download the Weekly Challenge Checklist to track the work you complete each week. The more mitigation tasks a household completes, the greater the chance of winning a prize. At least 15 households will be eligible to WIN! Actually, you all win because by taking action you can dramatically improve the chances of your home surviving the next fire!

The Community Challenge: “Fire District vs. Fire District”
Encourage your neighborhoods to sign up for The Wildfire Mitigation Challenge, too. We are pitting local fire protection districts against one another to see who can achieve the highest level of participation. The Fire Protection District with the highest percentage of households participating will win a free Boulder County sponsored community chipping event, a $1500 value.

Why is this important??  “So let me get this straight… landowners are eligible to win awesome prizes just for signing up to for the Wildfire Mitigation Challenge?” Yup, it’s that easy! Signup today!

*Wildfire Mitigation Challenge Eligibility Requirements: Only Boulder County residents may enter, one entry per household, must be over 18 to participate. 

*October Wildfire Awareness Month: Calendar of Events and Activities
Events and activities during the month teach residents about wildfire mitigation and encourage homeowners to take action to prepare for future fires. We are offering workshops on how to implement wildfire mitigation on your land, workshops on how to properly insure your mountain home, several free of charge community chipping days, volunteer forestry projects, natural history hikes, USFS tours and much more! Events are being added to our calendar daily so make sure to visit us online to view a complete list of workshops and trainings. Visit: www.BoulderCountyWildfireAware.org and click on the “events tab” in the middle of the screen.

Below you will find a quick snapshot of events planned during the  first two weeks of October. Make sure to go to www.BoulderCountyWildfireAware.org for complete program descriptions, registration information, locations and times. All events are free of charge! Some events require an RSVP or are restricted to local community members.

*October 1-12 – Nederland Neighborhood Slash Pick-up
Information: http://nederlandco.org/2012/09/neighborhood-slash-pick-up-in-september-/ or call Town Hall at 303-258-3266.
Sponsors: Town of Nederland, Boulder County Community Chipping Reimbursement Program.

*Saturday, October 6 – Nederland Saws and Slaws
Registration and Information: www.nederlandco.org/2012/09/final-saws-slaws-event-for-the-season-106-8am-12pm/ or contact Alan Brewer, Nederland PROSAB volunteer at nedforesthealth@nullgmail.com.
Sponsors: Town of Nederland, Nederland Saws and Slaws, Nederland Parks Recreation and Open Space Advisory Board

*Saturday, October 6 – Volunteer Forest Restoration Project at Heil Valley Ranch
Registration and Information: To register, please visit www.BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org/wildwork, or call Shane Milne at 303-678-6089.
Sponsors: Boulder County Parks and Open Space

*Saturday, October 6 – Community Chipping Event in Lefthand Canyon area
Information: http://www.bouldercounty.org/property/forest/pages/foresthealthevents.aspx
Sponsors: Lefthand Fire Protection District, Colorado State Forest Service, BLM and Boulder County.

*Saturday, October 13 – Volunteer Forest Restoration Project at Hall Ranch
Registration and Information: To register, please visit www.BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org/wildwork, or call Shane Milne at 303-678-6089.
Sponsors: Boulder County Parks and Open Space

*Saturday, October 13 – Natural History Hike – Fire on the Mountain: After the Fourmile Canyon Fire
Registration and Information: To register, pleas call Larry Colbenson, 303-678-6214, lcolbenson@nullbouldercounty.org,http://www.bouldercounty.org/pages/eventdetails.aspx?EventID=1377

*October 13 – Community Chipping Event in Fourmile Canyon area
Information: http://www.bouldercounty.org/property/forest/pages/foresthealthevents.aspx
Sponsors: Fourmile Fire Protection District, Colorado State Forest Service, BLM and Boulder County.

*Sunday, October 14 – “The Home Ignition Zone” outdoor Wildfire Mitigation Workshop
Registration and Information: To register, call Deb Rice, 303-441-3922, drice@nullbouldercounty.org

http://www.bouldercounty.org/property/forest/pages/foresthealthevents.aspx
Sponsors: Boulder County and Colorado State Forest Service.

Be Aware, Be Prepared, Be Firewise!

Cheers,
Ryan

Ryan Ludlow | Forestry Education & Outreach Coordinator 
Boulder County | Land Use Department
O: 720.564.2641 | F: 303.441.4856
rludlow@nullbouldercounty.org | www.bouldercounty.org/ForestHealth
*Please visit our website to sign-up to receive emails about forestry workshops, community meetings, bark beetle management tips and more!