As you most likely are aware, the Firewise Action Group has successfully received grant funding via approved Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Grant administered through Colorado State Forest Service in 2005, 2006 and 2007.  The 2005 monies were used to develop the Community Wildfire Protection Plan and provide financial assistance for mitigation projects by SFTR individual property owners and the SFTR-POA.  The 2006 funds were earmarked for extension of the SFTR/VPR shaded fuel break and educational events. Now 2007 funding is available for more Defensible Space projects as well as educational events. If you have excess or unused in-kind hours, please take the time to log them, and donate those hours to the FWAG.

These grants are awarded as a 50% match grant, which means for every dollar awarded in the grant one dollar (hard dollar match) or a dollar equivalent of work (in-kind match) must be done by the grant recipient.  Colorado State Forest Service currently calculates in-kind labor for the purposes of these grants at a rate of $17.55/hour.

How In-Kind Works

For example for every $1000.00 paid by the FWAG from WUI grants to a contractor to do mitigation work if an individual property owner spent 57 hours doing hand work @ $17.55/hour = $1000.35.  This can be donated to offset the money paid to the contractor.  If equipment is used for mitigation work the amount of in-kind donated can be greater.  If you hire a contractor to do work for you consider donating the receipt to the FWAG as this can be used as a direct dollar-for-dollar in-kind match (hard dollar match) of work contracted by the FWAG for the SFTR community.

            Your In-Kind Work                                                                        Dollars to Match Grant Work

Hand Labor                                                                                    57hrs X $17.55/hr =  $1000.35

Hand labor w/ small equipment                                                49hrs X $20.55/hr =  $1006.95

Hand Labor (2 people) + Chipper                                                11hrs X $95.10/hr =  $1046.10

$1050.00 paid to contractor for work on your land                                                      =  $1050.00

In 2005 we received about half of the money we requested in the grant applications.  In 2006 we received over 90% of the grant money requested.  We believe that this is because the CSFS has seen the work we have done with the money we received and believes that we are accomplishing a lot of work for the money invested in our community.  For the 2007 grant cycle we have more than doubled the amount of money requested.  Should we receive most of what we requested in the 2007 grants we would need twice as much in-kind match to be able to fully utilize these monies.  That means that every hour spent working on your own mitigation projects on your own property is needed by the SFTR community to do community projects such as the shaded fuel break project.

I know this community has already demonstrated an immense effort to mitigate.  Many of us have gone out there and spent many hard hours creating defensible space around structures and mitigating fuels on our properties.  If you have already done any mitigation work on your property, donating the manual labor and equipment hours to the SFTR-FWAG would be extremely helpful.  It is especially important that those willing to participate began using the Time Expense Tracking Form for all in-kind hours after October 1, 2007. 

For the POA to continue the shaded fuel break projects these sources of in-kind values become extremely important since the current POA budget allows no funding for such important projects. 

I realize this requires effort and time but if we start keeping track now and keep up the current efforts the FHWMC will do its best to find grants so your efforts can be used to contribute to the larger community-wide projects.   The point is many of us are doing a lot of hard work and using our own equipment.  This can add up to substantial in-kind, which can be leveraged against federal hard dollars for community project that benefit the entire community.

When noting type of work please include any equipment used, chain saw, ATV, tractor, truck, DR mower, brush hog, etc. since the granted in-kind value rate varies depending if in-kind is strictly manual hours or if time includes use of equipment.  There are no fixed rates for equipment, but you can use rates charged by local rental companies.

Examples for equipment rates:

            Chainsaw, ATV, small DR type chippers & other small engine equipment                          $3.00/hr

            Tractor                                                                                                                                    $25.00/hr

            Tractor with brushhog                                                                                                            $35.00/hr

            Large Chippers                                                                                                            $60.00/hr

Your completed up to date time expense sheet can be mailed to FHWMC member:

Dave Skogberg

33247 Squirrel Lane

Trinidad, CO 81082

Or sent electronically to: dskogberg@msn.com

Any questions can either be addressed to:

Diana Novacek at ddnovacek@yahoo.com or

Dave Skogberg at dskogberg@msn.com

Respectfully,

Diana Novacek

You can download the Time Expense Tracking Form Here