Wildfire Mitigation Starts Here
Dear Ski Ranches Lot and Homeowners,
Now that the spring and summer seasons are upon us, we strongly encourage you to sign up for a summer site visit with West Region Wildfire Council, if you haven’t done so already. This service will provide targeted and specific mitigation actions to help safeguard your homes, properties, and the community. For more information on a site visit: https://www.cowildfire.org/site-visit
Telluride Ski Ranches Association is not a guarantor of safety or security. Fortunately, however, the Association has established and fostered a commitment to help to reduce and manage wildfire risk in the community. The Association’s ability to do so relies on community-wide preparedness and ongoing commitments from every owner to implement and comply with ongoing mitigation plans. If homeowners fail to take reasonable steps to protect property and mitigate wildfire risk, or if a fire occurs as a result of violating a fire restriction order issued by San Miguel County or the Ski Ranches, homeowners may be liable for injuries, damages or losses caused by or arising from the fire.
Please read the Telluride Ski Ranches Association Community Assessment from 2022 and the Rapid Wildfire Risk Assessment (links below). Although the Rapid Wildfire Risk Assessment was created in 2015, as evidenced by our dying and diseased trees and critical drought conditions, it’s clear our forest health has significantly declined since that time. In turn, regional and local fire risks have significantly increased. As a result, it is imperative that owners take appropriate steps to mitigate and reduce fire risks.
Rapid Wildfire Risk Assessment:
https://www.cowildfire.org/rapid-risk-assessment
Telluride Ski Ranches Association Community Assessment 2022:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/65c12a0b8ad39747303e6fef/t/67e2d1020ca5e46d9efcb9f0/1742917896966/Telluride+Ski+Ranches+Community+Wildfire+Risk+Assessment-+Final.pdf
Seasonal HOA work and community fire safety initiatives will continue to focus on trailheads, roadsides, Snowshoe Park, and along Highway 145 near the Fox Farm entrance. We’ll continue communicating with Mountain Village, Telski, and the US Forest Service with the desired goal of collaborating on future mitigation projects. Expect to see informational signs at both entrances soon. The intent of the signage is to educate residents, guests, and contractors as to the current fire danger (determined by the County) and seasonal fire burning bans in the Ski Ranches. Signage will be removed once the winter season is upon us.
As mitigation planning begins for the upcoming spring, summer, and fall, we want to remind and encourage lot and homeowners of actions you can take to help protect your property. More detailed information about home hardening practices and creating defensible spaces can be found on pages 13-18 of the Telluride Ski Ranches Association Community Assessment (see link above). Some strategies and wildfire mitigation best practices include, but are not limited to, the following:
Removal of dead or diseased trees
Removal of dead brush and debris
Spraying for budworms
No storage of hazardous/flammable materials
Keeping fire extinguishers accessible
Firewood stored a minimum of 30’ from your home
Have your fireplace cleaned and inspected
Comply with HOA and governmental fire bans when in effect
Clear dead vegetation, leaves, debris and pine needles and other ignition sources to create defensible spaces surrounding homes and accessory structures
Remove ladder fuels (vegetation under trees) to prevent rapid growth/expansion of surface fires
Prune trees between 6-10’ from the ground
Space new trees/landscape materials appropriately
Utilize fire-hardened (non-combustible) building materials for new construction, building improvements, accessory structures (subject to HOA-approval)
It is up to all of us as a community to promote the general health, safety and welfare of our neighborhood and to protect and preserve property and property rights of our neighbors. In accordance with the governing documents, owners must maintain their lots in a manner designed to minimize fire risk. Owners are encouraged to work with representatives of the Colorado State Forest Services and/or the West Region Fire Council, who can assist you in developing a fire mitigation plan for your lot, and in creating an appropriate defensible space around your home.
Clearly, the most important fire mitigation work that can be done in the Ski Ranches is the work of each homeowner and lot owner to protect our own properties!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
San Miguel County Emergency Alerts Registration: https://sanmiguel.genasys.com/portal/en
Be Ready for a Wildfire: Checklist, Go Bag, Evacuation Plan, and How to Reduce Your Risk: https://www.iafc.org/docs/default-source/pdf/rsg-eag.pdf
Short term rentals will also find helpful information in the Ready, Set, Go! section.
Spanish version: https://www.iafc.org/docs/default-source/pdf/rsg_mexicansag.pdf
Home hardening Information: https://www.cowildfire.org/home-hardening
Colorado State Forest Service Home Ignition Zone Checklists / Creating Defensible Space:
https://csfs.colostate.edu/wildfire-mitigation/home-ignition-zone-checklists/
https://csfs.colostate.edu/wildfire-mitigation/protect-your-home-property-from-wildfire/
Tax Incentives: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lyYkXv12dXTUK0Lq-GGMAGl_WTtgs-NB/view (Check with your CPA.)
We thank you for doing your part as a lot or homeowner to keep our neighborhood safe. If you have any questions, please contact a representative from the HOA Board of Directors.
Sincerely,
Your Ski Ranches Wildfire Committee
