Ag Sec Vilsack tours northern Colorado

Courtesy photo Senator Michael Bennet and Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack tour site of Cameron Peak fire

Bennet, Polis, Neguse, local leaders talk wildfire recovery and climate resilience

LARIMER COUNTY — On Friday, Senator Michael Bennet, Governor Jared Polis, Congressman Joe Neguse plus other state and local leaders showed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack the wildfire recovery and climate-smart agriculture efforts happening across northern Colorado.

Bennet, Vilsack, Polis, and Neguse visited two sites in the Cameron Peak Fire area in Larimer County, location of the largest fire in Colorado history that ultimately burned 208,913 acres.

Bennet, Vilsack, and Polis went on to tour the malting facility and barley field at Olander Farms and Root Shoot Malting, after which they held a roundtable discussion on climate change mitigation and adaptation, drought, conservation and soil health, the agricultural workforce, and other issues.

One of his top priorities for legislative action, Bennet made the case for long-term investments in restoring our nation’s forests to protect our watersheds and communities from catastrophic wildfires through his landmark Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act, efforts that were cited in President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and cited as model legislation. which was included in President Biden’s American Jobs Plan. Bennet also discussed ongoing efforts to support climate-smart practices on working agricultural lands.

“We have to protect our forests and invest in our watersheds —these are national assets. Secretary Vilsack understands that, and I’m glad he was here to see Colorado’s efforts and the forest health and wildfire recovery partnerships that exist in our state,” said Bennet. “Secretary Vilsack also understands that farmers and ranchers should be at the heart of American climate policy. I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Vilsack and the Biden Administration to support Colorado producers as they continue to deal with drought and wildfire.”

“I was proud to join Sen. Bennet and Rep. Neguse today to meet with Secretary Vilsack and discuss the particular challenges that Colorado faces from wildfires,” said Polis. “Our magnificent outdoors are key contributors to our Colorado way of life and it’s important to discuss how we can care for them for generations to come.”

“I was grateful for the opportunity to join Governor Polis, Secretary Vilsack, Senator Bennet and our county officials today to tour the Cameron Peak Fire recovery sites in Larimer County,” said Neguse. “It’s crucial that we meet these historic wildfires with a proportionate response. That’s why we’ve proposed the launch of the 21st Century Civilian Climate Corps to bring needed resources to wildfire resiliency and watershed recovery projects and increase workforce capacity to support our wildland firefighters and wildfire suppression effort.

“Through our work on the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus and as Chair of the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands,” Neguse continued, “we hope to continue this work to meet these challenges and support our communities.”

“Agricultural producers play a critical role in addressing the climate and conservation challenges facing our state,” said Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg, “and I am proud of the visionary, collaborative efforts of Colorado’s farmers and ranchers in stewarding the iconic and working lands of our state.”