Teton County requests public participation to help draft revisions to Community Wildfire Protection Plan

JACKSON, Wyo. (KIFI) – Jackson Hole Fire/EMS (JHF/EMS), in collaboration with the Teton Area Wildfire Protection Coalition (TAWPC) and engineering consultant Jensen Hughes, is revising the Community Wildlife Protection Plan (CWPP). The public is being asked to join the conversation to help create a wildfire resilient community.

A CWPP helps identify and recommend measures that can reduce structural ignitability, prioritize fuel reduction treatments, and work toward overall community preparedness by bringing members of the public, emergency responders, planners, and land management agencies together to find local solutions to wildfire management.

Jackson Hole Fire/EMS is inviting the public to participate in one of five planning workshops listed below, which will help shape the CWPP and define future wildfire mitigation and preparedness projects for Teton County. All meetings will begin at 6:00 p.m.

• June 5 at the Teton County Library – Jackson Branch
• June 6 at the Hatchet Grill in Moran
• June 7 at the Teton County Library – Alta Branch
• June 8 at the Old Wilson Schoolhouse
• June 9 at Munger Mountain Elementary School

There will be a chainsaw raffle each evening, all attendees will be eligible. Those unable to attend in person are invited to take an online survey at Teton County’s public engagement site, engatetetoncountywy.com. To access the survey please visit:

English: https://engagetetoncountywy.com/wildfireprotectionplan
Spanish: https://engagetetoncountywy.com/wildfireprotectionspanish

The revision process will be guided by the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, an initiative to encourage collaboration among stakeholders, across all landscapes, with three key goals:
Resilient Landscapes, Fire Adapted Communities, and Safe and Effective Wildfire Response.

“Wildfire risk is based on several factors,” said JHF/EMS Wildfire Prevention Specialist Bobbi Clauson. “Understanding which factors affect our community will help identify strategies that could reduce our risk, so it’s very important to have public participation throughout the revision process.”

Following the planning meetings, the project team will review feedback from the public and implement it into the plan. A draft version of the plan will be presented to JHF/EMS and TAWPC later this fall. A finalized plan will be presented to the Teton County Board of County Commissioners by July 2024. Revisions to the CWPP occur every three to five years. Teton County’s current plan was implemented in 2014.