Hello! We would like to personally invite you to attend our second stakeholder meeting for the Dixon Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), Wednesday, February 15th, from 6:00-7:30 pm. This is a follow-up from our October meeting and an important opportunity to contribute feedback on materials so far developed.
The plan is a framework for collaboration and implementation around wildfire preparedness, response, and recovery. The CWPP will help to document and prioritize fuel reduction treatments and wildfire preparedness actions, which become eligible for funding. In this meeting we will be reviewing critical draft documents to be included in the CWPP, including draft priority actions (things we need to do) and maps of community risk ratings (where our community is most at risk) and wild-urban interface areas in the community (where homes are most threatened by wildfire). We hope you are able to join us and provide input on these materials.
We would really like to hear your thoughts and stories on these issues and give you a chance to educate us about fire concerns based on your first hand knowledge about the community. Actions described in the plan become eligible for funding so these meetings are a great chance to make your voice heard, work toward getting your projects funded, and make the Dixon District more fire safe. Here is some additional information about the meeting:
When: Wednesday, February 15, 2022 from 6:00-7:30 pm
Where: Dixon Volunteer Fire Department Station 1
Zoom is available, but due to limited internet speeds it is expected that video and audio may cut out at times, so in-person attendance may be preferred. Join on Zoom with the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83555292594 Please feel free to forward this information to anyone else you think should be included.
Creating fire adapted communities through planning and preparedness.
The Dixon Community Fire Department (DCFD) is currently working with several entities to write a Dixon Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). A CWPP prepares communities to work together with the plan as a road map for responding to natural disaster challenges. A CWPP update for Dixon is urgently needed because the Rio Arriba County plan from 2017 does not adequately address the specific needs and risks of the community. The high density of Wild-Urban Interface (WUI) areas surrounding Embudo Creek, fuel loads in the bosque, and the extensive acequia system that extends the WUI area pose unique challenges for the community of Dixon and will be addressed in the CWPP.
The CWPP update initiative will build and strengthen local and regional alliances for fire preparedness, planning, and collaboration. The planning process will be led by the DCFD, Ecotone Landscape Planning, LLC, and the Forest Stewards Guild in close collaboration with the New Mexico Forestry Division. Using a collaborative process, the plan update will rely on the strengths and knowledge of residents and professionals in the area to better prepare the landscape and community of Dixon for wildfire and post-wildfire hazards. This CWPP will improve fire adapted community resilience by increasing awareness of wildfire risk in Dixon and by establishing a framework for collaboration and implementation around wildfire preparedness, response, and recovery.
Goals of the update include:
- Work collaboratively with the community and stakeholders
- Determine priority actions and projects to advance Dixon’s wildfire resilience
- Identify assets available in the community to prepare for and deal with wildfire
- Create a diverse team of stakeholders to carry out the plan
- Describe progress that has been made to prepare for wildfire since approximately 2010
- Identify community risk from wildfire
- Update the delineation of the Wildland Urban Interface where homes and infrastructure are at risk of wildfire
Throughout the planning process there will be multiple opportunities for stakeholder and public participation. Stay tuned to this webpage for updates on public meeting times and locations, as well as an opportunity to make your voice heard through participation in our stakeholder survey. We look forward to working with you to make Dixon a more fire adapted community!