DENVER - With Colorado facing an urgent need for proactive forest management, The Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program (COSWAP) announced its largest Workforce Development grant investment to date. A total of $6.9 million has been awarded to 24 projects across the state for strategic wildfire mitigation and training in partnership with the Colorado Youth Corps Association and Department of Corrections’ State Inmate Wildland Fire Team (SWIFT) crew.

• La Plata County Cross-Boundary Work ($412,875): This project is a collaborative effort between the Southwest Conservation Corps and COSWAP’s newest partnership with the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps to bridge the gap between the San Juan National Forest and the Durango Hills subdivision to build fire resiliency across both public and private property boundaries.

Over the past two years, the project included construction of 52 Post-Assisted Log Structures (PALS), made entirely of natural materials, which allow water to permeate the nearby flood plain and restore habitat for native species. Native youth crews from the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps and Southwest Conservation Corps, alongside local volunteers, also planted more than 600 culturally-significant plants – including willow, sage, mint, cattails, chokecherries, buffalo berries, cottonwood, and sumac – and seeded 2 acres of eroded land along the river corridor.

These outcomes were made possible by a unique collaboration between Trees, Water, and, people, Montezuma Land Conservancy (MLC), Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (UMUT), and other local partners that facilitated restoration and Tribal access along private stretches of the Mancos River. As well as increasing availability of culturally-significant plant species, the project supports the Ute Mountain Tribe’s access to their ancestral lands.

Tiana Cachini’s service with the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps (ALCC) stands as a powerful example of how Corps programs and national service can elevate Indigenous voices, strengthen cultural representation, and contribute to lasting, community-centered conservation outcomes. As the Indigenous Mapping and Research Individual Placement supporting Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) and Native Lands, National Trails (NLNT), Tiana combined technical skill-building with deep cultural responsibility to produce work that will shape how tribal histories are respectfully shared for years to come.

Deandra Jones wraps barbed wire around trees in the Chuska Mountains, places sardines and glazed doughnuts in the center of a square-shaped collection site, then sprays commercial liquid called Bear Lure that smells sweet and fishy. When black bears arrive to investigate the scents, they brush against the wire and leave behind hair samples containing their DNA.