San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership
Aaron Kimple – SJHFHP Program Director
akimple@mountainstudies.org
970-387-5161
Who We Are
The San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership was established in 2009. Our mission is to provide a forum to share stakeholder perspectives in order to develop science-based collaborative priorities for management and monitoring of forests in the Pagosa Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest in Southwestern Colorado.
San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership works together to identify projects that support the residents within the San Juan Headwaters region.
All of the projects that the San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership (SJHFHP) participates are decided using the principles identified in our strategic plan. The SJHFHP brings together community members, land managers, environmental groups, community organizers, and local decision makers to:
SJHFHP strategic plan- Identify community needs
- Plan and prioritize projects to meet the needs
- Implement projects in priority areas
- Inform the community about forest health, threats, and how work on the ground supports community health
- Monitor work to determine effectiveness and guide future efforts
All across the nation…
our natural resources underpin economics, recreation, identity, technology, and ecology, to name but a few aspects of our everyday lives. Indeed, the health of our lands is intimately connected to the health of our communities. The inclusive and collaborative management of the forests and watersheds we all all rely upon is essential to improving the health of both the natural and human worlds. The San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership has emerged to meet this need in Southwestern Colorado.
In addition, we add to larger conversations about regional solutions across state and watershed boundaries through our participation in the 2 Watersheds – 3 Rivers – 2 States Cohesive Strategy Partnership (the 2-3-2).
Our Purpose
- To strengthen regional understanding of methods for improving forest health and watershed resilience
- To broaden knowledge of forest conditions and needs
- To generate viable management approaches
- To initiate projects to address identified needs
- To monitor treatments to guide adaptive management practices
Partnership Members are people and groups representing regional business interests, conservation organizations, local and state governments, federal agencies, recreation interests, ranchers, homeowner associations, scientists, and any interested citizens.