Today we are excited to share an interview our Program Manager Taylor Ruffin did with young changemakers from Estes Park, Colorado. These young people are part of a multi-year effort at their school to build resilience to natural hazards in their community, and we can’t wait for you to hear their story. Enjoy!

More about the students’ work:

After years of evacuations due to more wildfires, Estes Park Middle School Resilience Team built upon their work last year to engage state officials about wildland urban interface codes and building practices that create resilience against wildfire. Students visited the State Capitol to meet with Senator Cutter and Gov. Polis to advocate for CO Senate Bill 23-166 that establishes a Wildfire Resilience Code Board. This Board will work to ensure community safety from and more resiliency to wildfires by reducing the risk of wildfires to people and property through the adoption of statewide codes and standards. This Bill was signed May 12th 2023! In addition to their advocacy the Resilience Team planted trees and participated in community events that bring awareness to watershed health.

Learn more about the RISE Challenge here.