Huerfano County approves letter backing wildfire-mitigation grant along County Road 358

Huerfano County commissioners voted to approve a letter of support for J A J B Properties to apply for a state forest restoration and wildfire-risk mitigation grant that would fund fuel-reduction work on County Road 358 and nearby agricultural and state land.

The letter of support will accompany a grant application from J A J B Properties to treat about 10 acres of a state section adjacent to County Road 358 and roughly 110 acres of private agricultural land, according to applicant Jason Wilcox. Wilcox said his group completed about 119 acres of mitigation in 2022 and plans additional work to create defensible space and improve access for first responders.

"Our goal is really just to continue working in this area and creating more defensible space, which is also giving first responders access to the property," Jason Wilcox, owner of J A J B Properties, said during public comment.

Resident Ryan Gies, who lives near the final mile of County Road 358, told commissioners the road corridor includes areas with large slash piles left from prior clearing and that mitigation in the area would help protect several nearby houses. "In the final mile of that, we have several houses … We've got giant piles of slash, which again we haven't been allowed to burn that slash," Gies said.

The project description in the meeting said the grant would fund wildfire fuel-reduction work on some agricultural ranches and state-owned land along County Road 358; Wilcox also said his group plans to partner with SPEEWAF on future work. Commissioners Wardell, Turbulent and Chairman Porter were recorded as voting yes and the motion passed.

Why it matters: County Road 358 sits near small residential clusters and public facilities downstream; mitigation proponents said the work would reduce fire risk and create firefighter access routes. The application, if funded, would rely on private landowner cooperation and state approvals for treatment on state sections.

Discussion and next steps: The commissioners approved the letter of support; the recorded vote named three commissioners in the affirmative. Wilcox and staff did not provide a firm timeline for when the grant application would be submitted, though Wilcox said the group has applied for the same program in prior years and plans to reapply this cycle. The county will transmit the approved letter to the applicant for inclusion with the application.

Ending: Commissioners moved on after the vote to other agenda items. The transcript shows related public comments and applicant remarks during the same agenda block.