La Plata Conservation District

Grant awarded for wildfire mitigation on private lands in La Plata County

Durango, Colo., February 9, 2026—The La Plata Conservation District (LPCD), in partnership with Wildfire Adapted Partnership (WAP) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), was recently awarded $850,000 by the CO Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management through the Natural Disaster Mitigation Enterprise (NDME). The enterprise awards natural disaster mitigation grants to assist in the implementation of resilience and natural disaster mitigation measures. This grant is one of 18 awarded in 2025 across Colorado. A full list of recipients can be found at https://dhsem.colorado.gov/NDMEmap.

In La Plata County, project activities include reducing hazardous fuels and increasing defensible space around homes, reducing fuels along important access and evacuation routes, creating small-scale community shaded fuel breaks, and forest thinning on mid-sized parcels (15-50 acres). The project area focuses on Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) lands within the La Plata Conservation District along HWY 160 from west to east and HWY 550 from north to south. This geography contains the county’s highest wildfire risk; as well as critical watersheds, i.e. the Florida Watershed, which supplies 5.8 million gallons per day of drinking water to the City of Durango. 

"Defensible space and forest health are critical for reducing wildfire risk,” said Virginia DeJong, President, Board of Supervisors for the La Plata Conservation District. “The NDME grant has provided funding for on-the-ground mitigation, we are excited to see the results of a collaborative effort which will increase community and ecosystem resilience."

Increasing defensible space is critical for reducing wildfire risk to lives and properties. LPCD has a subaward with WAP to complete activities that will create defensible space on private properties, which reduces the likelihood of a home igniting due to direct flame contact or through radiant heat from a fire. WAP’s Defensible Space Cost Share Program reduces the cost barrier for homeowners to complete a wildfire mitigation project on their property. WAP will complete home wildfire risk assessments and prepare a scope of work for each project. Then landowners or HOAs will solicit bids from local mitigation contractors before selecting their preferred contractor. Eligible homeowners or HOAs can receive up to a 60% reimbursement of contractor expenses through this grant if all work has been complete to Colorado State Forest Service Home Ignition Zone guidelines.

LPCD will coordinate with the NRCS to develop forest management plans aimed at improving forest stands on land located outside the home ignition zone. Once the prescribed work is completed according to the approved plan, landowners can receive up to 75% reimbursement of contractor expenses.

Ashley Downing, Executive Director for Wildfire Adapted Partnership, added, “This NDME funding will allow WAP to expand its Defensible Space Cost Share throughout most of La Plata County, and it will increase fuels reduction work on individual private properties as well as on a community scale. This program addresses the two biggest hurdles we have seen for completing mitigation around homes: lack of education on where to start and the cost of completing the work. Overall, these funds will help to decrease the risk of severe wildfire to communities within La Plata County.” 

Interested residents will need to sign up for a wildfire risk site assessment from WAP to start the process. To do so, please visit the WAP website: https://www.wildfireadapted.org/site-visit. 

For mid-sized parcels (15-50 acres) outside the home ignition zone, landowners should contact LPCD at office@laplatacd.org.

Media contacts: 
 
The La Plata Conservation District coordinates assistance for landowners from all available resources – public and private, local, state and federal – in an effort to develop locally led solutions to natural resource concerns to include: soil, air, water, animals, and plants.
Contact: Virginia DeJong, (970) 764-7989, office@laplatacd.org 
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 Wildfire Adapted Partnership inspires, educates and enables individuals and communities to protect lives and property from wildfire. 
Contact: Ashley Downing, (970) 385-8909, adowning@wildfireadapted.org
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Natural Resources Conservation Service – U.S. Department of Agriculture
Helping People Help the Land. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Contact: Ian Hopkins, (970) 259-3289 ext.3376, ian.hopkins@usda.gov