Upcoming Sessions
- Thursday, April 30th 12:30 – 2:00pm | Funder Communication Series Part 1: Communicating Impact (hearing from collaboratives) | Register here
- Tuesday, May 26th 12:00 – 1:30pm | Funder Communication Series part 2: How impact resonates (hearing from public and private sector funders) | Register here
Co-hosted in partnership with our friends at the Wildfire and Watershed Initiative for Resilient Colorado (WWIRC) and Keystone Policy Institute, we invite you to join a 2-part Branching Out series on communicating impact to funders. You must register for each session individually. You do not need to attend both sessions, but it is encouraged!
Funder Communication Series Part 1: Communicating Impact (hearing from collaboratives)
Thursday, April 30th | 12:30 – 2:00pm | Register here
In this session, we will hear directly from forest collaboratives about how they are using metrics and storytelling to communicate impact, build support, and make the case for proactive forest and watershed resilience. We will start by framing up the conversation with background research and examples from local collaboratives, then move into a discussion-based conversation with dedicated time for cross-collaborative learning.
Key framing questions for the session include:
- What data, metrics, and stories have collaboratives found most effective in communicating impact and building support for forest and watershed resilience?
- How are collaboratives tailoring messages for different audiences (e.g., community members, policymakers, funders)?
- What kind of metrics resonate most, and how are they being framed alongside narrative storytelling?
- What challenges have collaboratives faced in communicating their work, and what lessons have emerged from those experiences?
- What tools, frameworks, or resources have helped translate complex outcomes into clear, persuasive messages?
- How to do collaboratives want to tell their stories?
Funder Communication Series part 2: How impact resonates (hearing from public and private sector funders)
Tuesday, May 26th | 12:00 – 1:30pm | Register here
Recordings & Resources from Past Branching Out Sessions
March 2026 | Forest Improvement Districts
Kevin Whelan, Colorado Special District Association and Chair of Colorado Fire Commission Forest Improvement District Subcommittee
February 2026 | The Ponderosa Mountain Pine Beetle Task Force
Director Dan Gibbs, Colorado Department of Natural Resources
Director Mike Morgan, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control
Director Matt McCombs, Colorado State Forest Service
November 18th, 2025 | The 2025 Colorado Forest Collaboratives Summit: Key Takeaways and What We Want to Carry Forward
Ch’aska Huayhuaca, Esther Duke, John Sanderson, Maria Brandt, Ben Guillon, & Laura Hickey
Recording | 2025 Summit Summary
August 28th, 2025 | Front Range Collaboratives-Post Fire Panel
Sam Kaelin, Laura Quattrini, Hally Strevey, Adrian Knight
May 22nd, 2025 | The Colorado Forest Tracker
Rebecca Dannels, Stephanie Mueller, Amanda West Fordham
Recording | Forest Tracker website | Slides
April 17th, 2025 | The Colorado Forest Resilience Planning Guide
Alison Lerch, Christina Burri, Katie McGrath Novak, Brett Wolk, & Laura Hickey
Resource page | Recording | Colorado Forest Resilience Planning Guide | 4-Page Summary of Guide
March 20th, 2025 | CFCN All-Partners Meeting
Blog Summary Part 1: Impacts of federal funding changes on Colorado collaboratives and communities
Blog Summary Part 2: Where do we go from here? How collaboratives are looking to the future & how we can support them
January 23, 2025 | CFCN Young Professionals Meet-Up
Recording not available.
October 10, 2024 | COSWAP Workforce Development Overview and Q&A
Courtney Young, Forest Health & Wildfire Mitigation Program Administrator, Colorado Department of Natural Resources
Roberta Anderson, Forest Health & Wildfire Mitigation Program Assistant, Colorado Department of Natural Resources
March 28, 2024 | Guide to Creating & Revising Collaborative Governance Documents
Katie McGrath Novak, Coordinator, Colorado Forest Collaboratives Network
February 22, 2024 | Coalition for the Upper South Platte Recreation Agreements and Amenities
John Geerdes, Executive Director, Coalition for the Upper South Platte
January 25, 2024 | The Colorado Forest Health Council & Forest Collaboratives in 2024
Recording not available.
December 21, 2023 | Branching Out End-of-Year Celebration!
Recording not available. Thanks to all who attended!
November 29, 2023 | Connecting Collaboratives with USFS State, Private, & Tribal Forestry: Who they are, what they do, & opportunities for collaboratives
Amie Anderton, Landscape Scale Restoration & IRA Landowner Assistance Program Program Manager
Matt Tuten, Cooperative Forestry Program Manager
October 19, 2023 | Forest Collaboratives and the New Colorado Forest Management Activity Tracker (Forest Tracker)
Nicholas Kotlinski, Colorado State Forest Service
Rebecca Dannels, Colorado State Forest Service
Brett Wolk, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute
Stephanie Mueller, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute
August 24, 2023 | Panning for Nuggets of Science Gold: Reframing Forestry and Wildfire Management Communication
Hannah Brown, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University
Brett Wolk, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University
July 27, 2023 | The US Forest Service and Forest Collaboratives in Colorado: How We Can Work Together
Monte Williams, Hally Strevey, Maya MacHamer, Chiara Forrester, Paul Orbuch, Ch’aska Huayhuaca-Frye
June 22, 2023 | COSWAP Overview & Feedback from Forest Collaboratives
Alison Lerch, Colorado Department of Natural Resources
Courtney Young, Colorado Department of Natural Resources
May 18, 2023 | Forest Health Council Updates & Feedback from Forest Collaboratives
Katie McGrath Novak, Colorado Forest Collaboratives Network Coordinator & Forest Health Council Collaboratives Representative
April 20, 2023 | Collaboratives as a platform for difficult community conversations, managing conflict, & developing a shared vision amongst partners
Danny Margoles, Coordinator, Dolores Watershed Resilient Forests Collaborative
