May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and Montezuma County fire officials will host a boot camp to put a spotlight on fire safety and wildfire risk reduction.

The fire preparedness event will take place Saturday from 12:30 to 4 p.m. at the Shalako House, 12200 Road 41.9 in Mancos.

Representatives from Colorado State Forest Service, San Juan National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Fire Adapted Colorado, Mancos Conservation District, Wildfire Adapted Partnership, Dolores Watersheds Collaborative and Cortez Fire Protection District will be present to share information and answer questions.

Event organizers said in a news release that wildfire mitigation and “creating defensible space can be costly,” so the event also aims to teach participants how to do the work themselves. The event will also provide information about funding assistance that is available for landowners.

“As temperatures rise and conditions dry, we are reminded that wildfire season is just around the corner. Living with wildfire comes with the territory in southwestern Colorado, asking us to be responsible land stewards and neighbors by balancing fire safety, risk reduction and conservation values,” organizers said.

The boot camp will include topics such as defensible space, forest health and wildfire, home wildfire risk, prescribed burns and slash management. Attendees can also meet and network with other landowners in the area.

The event will also include resources and numerous professionals to educate and help landowners and residents of “fire-adapted communities” with protecting their homes, lives and property while learning how to reduce the risk of fire.

To register, onwardfdn.fcsuite.com.

For more information, contact Tara Harris at 970-880-4474 or tara@mancoscd.org, or Dolores Watershed Coordinator Nina Williams at 970-560-1443.