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Aspen Public Radio is proud to present select lectures, discussions, and conversations from area events and festivals, thanks to a remarkable collection of community partners. Click here to view the full archive. Events are recorded at no cost to the partner and archived here online; select recordings are broadcast on Aspen Public Radio Sunday nights at 7 p.m.

Proactive & Prepared: Wildfire in the Roaring Fork Valley – “Communication & Action”

Aspen Public Radio
Published May 11, 2026 at 9:25 AM MDT
Craig Turpin

This event was recorded on May 6, 2026 at The Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW), produced by Wildfire Collaborative Roaring Fork Valley and Aspen Public Radio.

TACAW was pleased to partner with the Wildfire Collaborative Roaring Fork Valley and Aspen Public Radio on this event designed to increase awareness and preparedness as wildfire season approaches.

Colorado is experiencing its warmest year in 131 years of record, and one of its driest. The Roaring Fork Valley sits at the epicenter, among the hardest-hit areas in the state for severe drought. With snowpack now peaked at historic lows, climate scientists are drawing comparisons to years that defined what catastrophic wildfire looks like in Colorado.

This event aimed to bring our community together for a direct conversation about what these conditions mean for our valley, what local fire departments and researchers are doing about it, and what each of us can do to protect our homes and our neighbors. The evening began with a community preparedness fair, followed by presentations and panels featuring climate scientists, local fire chiefs, and researchers whose work is focused specifically on this region.

Listen here for the final panel discussion of the evening:

Response: Communication & Action – As we proactively look for ways to mitigate disasters, how are local governments, human service providers, and our media ecosystem actively preparing for community resilience, relief, and disaster recovery? Learn more about where information will come from and how each of us will individually need to respond to a wildfire here in the Roaring Fork Valley. Presented by: Chris Breitbach, Pitkin County Emergency Manager; Jill Pidcock, Executive Director of Arc of the Central Mountains, Co-Chair of the West Mountain Regional COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster); and Jenny Cutright, Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District Deputy Chief

This panel was moderated by Aspen Public Radio’s Sage Smiley.

Explore more wildfire preparedness resources here: https://www.rfvwildfire.org/solutions/resources
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