“The Colorado Department of Natural Resources mission is to develop, preserve, and enhance the state’s natural resources for the benefit and enjoyment of current and future citizens and visitors.
The Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program (COSWAP) was created after the devastating 2020 fire season by the Colorado legislature through the bi-partisan supported SB21-258 in the summer of 2021. COSWAP is designed to quickly move $17.5 million state stimulus dollars to start on-the-ground work on fuels reduction projects and increase Colorado’s capacity to conduct critical forest restoration and wildfire mitigation work that will increase community resilience and protect life, property and infrastructure.
COSWAP supports fuels reduction efforts in the wildland urban interface (WUI) in two ways. First, by funding wildfire mitigation work done by conservation corps and the Department of Corrections (DOC) State Wildland Inmate Fire Teams (SWIFT), and wildfire mitigation workforce development training. Second, by strategically awarding funds for landscape scale strategic wildfire mitigation projects. “
The COSWAP Workforce Development Grant awards two forms of grants. Crew time awards are granted to applicants with wildfire mitigation projects that protect life, property and infrastructure. SWIFT or CYCA accredited conservation corps crews are paid by COSWAP directly to complete the projects. Cash grants are awarded for workforce development fire mitigation training or to pay a non-CYCA accredited conservation corps to complete a mitigation project.
