In Colorado, the snowy mountains are more than just a breathtaking backdrop. They are part of our sense of community, culture and livelihoods.
For me, snowboarding is where I feel most alive. It’s my passion and the way I stay connected to the mountains and my community. In the winter, I work at a ski resort about 50 miles west of Denver, and each season I look forward to seeing the mountains come alive with skiers and snowboarders, workers and families, locals and visitors, all brought together by a season that sustains so many Coloradans.
But this past winter felt different. The season started slow, with warm temperatures and far less snow than many of us had hoped for. Trails opened late. Fewer lifts were running. Fewer people came up. And when people don’t come up, mountain towns feel it immediately.
It means fewer hours for workers, fewer jobs, smaller paychecks and less business for restaurants, shops and local services. For communities that depend on winter recreation, a weak snow year doesn’t just change the view. It threatens livelihoods.
What many people don’t realize is how closely our forests are tied to our winters. Colorado’s high-elevation forests play a major role in holding snow on the landscape, shading it, slowing melt and helping water soak into the ground and flow steadily downstream. Healthy forests support healthy watersheds, and those watersheds support rivers, wildlife and communities across the state and beyond.
When forests become overcrowded and stressed, they’re left dangerously vulnerable to severe wildfires. In those moments, we risk losing more than just trees; we risk losing the natural systems that shield our communities, safeguard our snowpack and water supply, and sustain our jobs. These risks are deeply personal to me.
My family’s roots run deep in Colorado and across the Southwest, stretching back generations. Our family cabin in Jefferson near the Continental Divide, tucked among aspens, represents years of sacrifice, hard work and love. Every extra dollar my parents earned went into creating a place where we could gather and reconnect in the mountains.
When I see this year’s dry conditions, I can’t help but worry about what summer might bring. The threat of wildfire weighs heavily on my family, especially when we think about the possibility of losing a place that holds so much of our history. I know we are not alone.
Across Colorado, families are watching drier winters and longer fire seasons with growing concern. I understand that fire is a natural process in many forest ecosystems, but catastrophic wildfires are something else entirely. They threaten not only ecosystems, watersheds and air quality, but also homes, businesses and entire communities.
And the damage does not end when the flames go out. Severely burned landscapes often leave behind soils that repel water instead of absorbing it. The result is increased flooding, erosion and water contamination. These are long-term consequences for places already hit hardest by fire.
We need to be more proactive about how we manage our forests. Tools like prescribed burns and forest thinning can make our forests healthier and more resilient. Together, they remove leftover fuels, restore natural fire processes and lower the risk of severe wildfires. Research from the U.S. Forest Service, along with a large body of other studies, consistently shows that these treatments reduce wildfire intensity and severity, making fires easier to manage and contain.
Other evidence shows that thinning followed by prescribed fire has beneficial effects on forest health, strengthening its resilience to drought and other stressors. If we truly care about Colorado’s winters, mountain communities and the future of our water, we need to treat forest health as an urgent, shared priority.
This is why I support the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act and urge the Senate to move it forward. The bill passed the House in January of last year on a 279–141 vote, with Colorado’s delegation split along party lines: all four Republican representatives supported it, while the state’s four Democrats opposed it.
This legislation would help prioritize wildfire mitigation and forest restoration in the places that need it most, strengthen forecasting and response, and improve coordination among federal, state, tribal and local partners.
For communities like mine, this is about preparedness and resilience. It’s also about protecting the places and economies we rely on, and the mountains we love and spend time in. When Colorado’s forests are unhealthy, everything else becomes more vulnerable: our communities, our water and even our winters.
We can’t control every warm winter or dry season. But we can make smart choices now to reduce risk and strengthen the landscapes that sustain us all.
Mekayla Cortez, of Denver, serves as advisory board chair for Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors.
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