Las Animas County Receives Share of $8.5 Million Wildfire Mitigation Grants

Of 73 eligible applications submitted to Colorado's state wildfire mitigation grant program this year, 38 came back empty. Las Animas County's was not among them.

Governor Jared Polis and the Colorado State Forest Service announced March 31 that Las Animas County is one of 24 counties receiving a share of $8.5 million in Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation grants. Combined with the program's mandatory local matching requirement, the 35 funded projects will generate roughly $17.6 million in total wildfire protection investment statewide, nearly doubling the state's contribution through required local commitments.

In Las Animas County, the funds can support creating defensible space around homes and structures in the wildland-urban interface, removing hazardous fuels including beetle-killed timber, clearing fuel loads along evacuation routes, and protecting municipal water infrastructure serving Trinidad and surrounding communities. The county's mix of dry rangeland, pinyon-juniper foothills, and grass and shrub fuels carries serious spring fire risk driven by low humidity and persistent winds.

"Colorado has seen firsthand the devastating impacts of wildfires on our communities," Polis said. "This funding helps us combat wildfires and comes at a time when Colorado is experiencing record-low snow levels, and severe drought."

Dan Gibbs, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, described current conditions as among the most urgent the program has faced. "Colorado is currently facing unprecedented low snowpack, record high temperatures and a year-around fire season making the Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation program even more critical than ever," Gibbs said. "These grants will go to needed projects to reduce the wildfire risk around homes, water supplies and other critical infrastructure, and help create more resilient communities."

State Forester Matt McCombs noted the program has now funded 312 projects covering more than 30,000 acres since 2017. "Year after year, Colorado communities are showing up, doing the right thing and taking action to reduce the risk of wildfire to not only their homes and businesses, but also in service to their communities and the forest itself," McCombs said. "The FRWRM grant program has proven to be a dependable way to get this crucial forest health work done across the state and help Coloradans learn to live wildfire ready."

County fire districts, landowners, and water providers are expected to coordinate with their local Colorado State Forest Service field office to finalize project scopes and confirm matching fund commitments ahead of the peak summer fire window. The next round of FRWRM grants will be announced in fall 2026.