LEADVILLE, Colo. – Residents of Leadville and Lake County now have a Colorado State Forest Service forester dedicated to their forestry needs. Starting Sept. 16, 2024, Forester Peter Albrecht will staff the one-person CSFS satellite office located on the Colorado Mountain College-Leadville. This office fills a need for local forest management and wildfire mitigation support.
“Lake County just updated its Community Wildfire Protection Plan, and that’s energized private landowners to do more forestry work to protect their homes and properties,” said JT Shaver, supervisory forester in the CSFS Salida Field Office. “Leadville is also seeing an increase in full-time residents, so the need for a local forester has been growing, too.”
Shaver and Albrecht have been instrumental in getting a forester based out of Leadville, but it has definitely been a group effort. Colorado Springs Utilities have significant water supply infrastructure in the area, and the U.S. Forest Service has numerous forestry projects in the area. These two entities provided funding for the position; once they cleared this hurdle, Shaver and Albrecht turned their attention to finding office space in the space-limited town.
Lake County Commissioner Sarah Mudge found a creative solution for the office space. The CSFS satellite office will be a 200-square-foot cubicle in the Discovery Academic Building’s community workspace on the CMC Leadville campus. In return for the office space, Albrecht will present guest lectures in sustainability and environmental classes as well as develop an internship program at the college.
“We’re thrilled to see a long-term goal of collaborating with Colorado Mountain College come to fruition,” said Shaver. “Building enthusiasm for forestry in college students is crucial for being able to meet Colorado’s future forestry needs.”
Albrecht is uniquely qualified to take on this challenging new role. He’s a dedicated, knowledgeable forester and acutely familiar with the specific forestry needs in the area. Albrecht’s first forestry job was in Leadville 12 years ago, when he was a forestry aide for the USFS. He’s lived in Leadville for 8 years and has a special attachment to the area, from Turquoise Lake to the Sangre de Cristos.
“I’m honored and excited to serve the people of Leadville and Lake County as a forester. It’s like a dream come true to be able to implement forest health projects that I’ve thought about for years,” said Albrecht.
Albrecht will be available by appointment or phone calls. Contact: [email protected] or 719-539-2579. The Leadville office is a satellite of the CSFS Salida Field Office.