Minutes of Colfax County Coalition of Firewise Communities Board Meeting
June 18, 2007
Held at the First National Bank building in Angel Fire, 10:00 am - 11:30 am

The meeting began with updates from member communities. Hidden Lake is planning several more chipper mornings this summer, on 6/27, 7/11, 7/31, 8/1, and 8/2. Their annual meeting is at the beginning of August. Chipper coordination is being handled by local fire chiefs.

In Elk Ridge, thinning is continuing on three lots. They have started piling slash in an open area for burning as conditions allow, and may do some chipping also. The state has worked on thinning lands adjacent to Elk Ridge in the last through weeks. A joint event was held with the fire department, in which piles of slash were torched and used as an exercise to transport water and train firefighters. Search and Rescue of Angel Fire provided communications for the event.

Preliminary leveling for the Taos Pines fire station has been done, and the foundation should be poured soon. Taos Pines is hoping to set up a chipper day for sometime in August. They will have their own booth at the Fire, Forest, and Water Fair, with door prizes.

Vermejo Park Ranch has finished shaded fire breaks along its borders with Santa Fe Trail Ranch and other neighbors. This was a collaborative effort between the New Mexico and Colorado foresters and the two communities.

Joe Stehling mentioned that mailing costs of general firewise materials for distribution are not trivial. Nicolas Lezama said that State Farm Insurance would be interested in providing postage for mailings if some State Farm fire prevention materials were included.

Larry Layden said the Green Valley neighborhood near Black Lake has 22 property owners, and that he plans to attend their annual meeting this summer. He mentioned that the Fire Marshal's office used to help with reaching out to new communities but is not now available to help since the Fire Marshal is on suspension and the urban forester has resigned. Linda Ford suggested our coalition send a letter to the County Commission stressing the need to fill the positions at the County Fire Administration office.

Ernie Lopez said the water trust fund project has progressed well at Taos Pines, in spite of tough winter conditions. Diana Johnson encouraged coalition members to drive the main Taos Pines road to see what has been done. Ernie also said that CWPPs are now being developed for several communities, and encouraged members to attend CWPP meetings to be sure all important areas are addressed in the documents. He also said his office would be glad to help with grant applications for property owners and communities.

Linda Ford reported that the CFRP grant for thinning in the Carson National Forest adjacent to Taos Pines was turned down, but that she was invited to reapply. She plans to apply again, this time without including fencing to keep cattle confined to the National Forest.

Joe mentioned a correction to an announcement in a previous meeting: The Angel Fire grappler truck will not go past the pavement on Highway 120 to pick up slash.

Nicolas suggested that the coalition work with local realtors about Firewise efforts, perhaps by sending a letter to realtors. Glenn Fortlage suggested we have a meeting and invite the Qualified Brokers from local real estate companies. Nicolas suggested bringing in an underwriter or actuarial expert to tell how risks are evaluated for insurance purposes. Glenn said we might contact the National Association of Realtors.

Diana Johnson said she is now posting minutes of coalition meetings on the Taos Pines website.

After the regular meeting, a few members discussed plans for the FF&W Fair. Joe has assembled lots of handout materials and a cardboard display board of Hidden Lake photographs, and plans to purchase two more cardboard display boards. Jody Gray will assemble a display board with Ute Park and other photos, and will bring a small TV and educational video tapes to the Fair. She will also call to make sure we are scheduled for the fair booth, as there has been some confusion about this.

Action Items:

Linda Ford will draft a letter to send to the Colfax County Commissioners.
Jody Gray will get some Living with Fire brochures from the State Forestry office to bring to the FF&W Fair, and will recruit volunteers from Ute Park for the fair booth.
Nicolas Lezama will coordinate with the coalition about subsidizing mailings to property owners.

The next meeting was set for 10:00 am Thursday, July 26, 2007, at the State Forestry Division office in Ute Park.