Wildfire Adapted Partnership
Inspires, Educates, and Enables Individuals and Communities to
Protect Lives and Property from Wildfire
Who We Are
Wildfire Adapted Partnership (WAP) is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to helping homeowners understand their wildfire risk and what they can do to reduce that risk. Our staff assists wildfire mitigation efforts through funding and education in Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, and San Juan Counties.
We also work closely with a variety of partners including the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS), United States Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Offices of Emergency Management (OEM), and local Fire Protection Districts, to educate and assist folks with wildfire mitigation.
What We Do (Inspire, Educate, Enable)
Wildfire Adapted Partnership works with our neighbors and agency partners to create wildfire adapted communities. We assist local residents in creating defensible space, educational opportunities, and preparing for wildfire on the neighborhood level through education and grant opportunities offered through Wildfire Adapted programs.
Inspire
-
Our Neighborhood Ambassadors are volunteer community members who are empowered to act as spark plugs in their communities by attending educational events, organizing community activities, mitigation, and educating their own neighborhoods.
-
WAP relies on our coordinators, partners, and volunteers. If you are interested in supporting us by being more involved, consider becoming a volunteer and/or donating.
-
Wildfire Adapted Partnership is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization and we rely on grants and donations to offer free wildfire education and mitigation programs. Please consider donating today to continue this important work in southwest Colorado.
Latest Updates
Educate
-
WAP education programs inform the public on what it means to live in a fire adapted ecosystem and the steps they can take to lower their risk of wildfire. WAP offers free home site assessments, participates in local collaboratives, and hosts monthly Fire Council and Ambassador meetings.
-
We’re always up to cool things.
-
Stay up to date on Wildfire Information with our shared resources.
Enable
-
WAP Staff will come out to your property and chat about defensible space and home hardening. If you are within grant geography, WAP may be able to help offset the cost of wildfire vegetation mitigation with our Cost Share Program. The first step of the Cost Share Program is a free wildfire site risk assessment.
-
Funding from donors and grants helps residents offset costs of completing wildfire mitigation on private properties. This makes mitigation more accessible for communities and landowners.
Our mitigation programs include Defensible Space Cost Share, Chipper Rebate, and Community Projects.
-
WAP helps create and update Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP), Community Wildfire Risk Assessments, and plan fuels reduction projects in Ambassador communities. WAP also participates in regional and local collaboratives to plan cross-boundary treatments and improve forest and watershed health.
-
Wildfire Adapted Partnership coordinators are here to help you get started in your wildfire preparedness activities.
Read our latest updates below, and keep up to date with our updates by signing up for our E-News
-
DWC's StoryMap of COSWAP in SWCO
The Dolores Watershed Collaborative posted an awesome StoryMap about one of our funding sources. Check it out below!
-
Current Fire Restrictions across SWCO
Check out the current fire restrictions below to stay informed this Fire Season.
-
May Fire Council: PSPS Presentation
Speaker Jerry Sutherlin with LPEA presented on Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS)!
Fire Belongs on the Landscape
Fire plays a vital role in maintaining healthy landscapes. It is an essential natural process that helps promote biodiversity, rejuvenate ecosystems, and manage vegetation. Prescribed burnings are common on public lands, but nearly 60% of land in Colorado is privately owned. Below are some videos to help us understand fire’s role in southwest Colorado.
“Good Fire”
“Where Public and Private Lands Meet”
Accomplishments
Wildfire Adapted Partnership had an incredible year in 2025. We were able to do several community projects and collaborated with our partners for impactful education and outreach events. We added several new Ambassadors to our growing programs, and put over $600,000 back into the pockets of Southwest Coloradoans to help with their wildfire mitigation efforts. We could not have done it without you! Below is a report of our accomplishments.
Donations
Wildfire Adapted Partnership is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization and we rely on grants and donations to offer free wildfire risk assessments, educational opportunities, and mitigation programs. Please consider donating today to continue this important work in southwest Colorado!