Planning and Managing Native Grass Landscapes for High Risk Fire Seasons

Join us for the Native Grass Working Group’s first education session of 2026! Registration is not required. Join the Teams meeting live on Feb 26. 

In this single presentation, we will explore two complementary topics:

1.     Fire Risk and Native Grasses: Explore how Colorado’s dry conditions are shaping fire risk in 2026. Learn practical ways to prepare and manage fire‑prone landscapes. We’ll address how native grasses contribute to wildfire risk, techniques to reduce hazards through management and moisture strategies, and key differences between vegetation management in open spaces versus urban areas.
2. Denver Water Case Study: Bea will discuss wildfire mitigation approaches used in planning Denver Water’s experimental turf removal project at the Foothills Water Treatment Plant. The project tested multiple non-chemical turf removal methods side by side before seeding the site with native grasses in a wildfire-prone area.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Jeremy Taylor is the Forest Program Manager for Colorado Springs Utilities, leading forest management, fuels reduction, and wildfire response efforts across the Front Range. With 15 years of experience as a forester and wildland firefighter, he has contributed to national wildfire policy and safety standards and served in leadership roles with organizations such as the NWCG Wildland‑Urban Interface Mitigation Committee and the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Before joining CSU, Jeremy spent eleven years with the Colorado Springs Fire Department’s Wildfire Mitigation Section. He holds a B.S. in Natural Resources Management from Colorado State University.

Bea Stratton is the Landscape Transformation Program Manager with Denver Water's Conservation and Efficiency team. In her time at Denver Water, she has focused on building tailored programming to help customers conserve water through landscapes. She is leading an effort to test different turf replacement methodologies across Denver Water’s properties with the goal of sharing these case studies to the broader community. She holds a Master of Public Administration with a focus on Environmental Policy from the University of Colorado Denver. Bea's passion for outdoor water use and conservation began during her time working in landscaping while pursuing her graduate studies.