Media Contact: Chynna Cowart
chynna.cowart@state.co.us | 303-656-7464
The Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), through the Colorado Resiliency Office (CRO), will virtually hold its annual summit on Thursday, January 25, from 1:00 p.m.to 3:30 p.m. MST.
Attendees will learn about how far the State has come and what levers of change are needed to move us forward into the future toward a resilient Colorado. Today, ahead of the Summit, the 2023 Annual Progress Report on the Colorado Resiliency Framework Implementation has been released.
Stories of Resilience: United for Climate Adaptation
The upcoming virtual conference is dedicated to fostering transformative dialogue on climate adaptation, leveraging the influential power of storytelling. Participants will share narratives of resilience, collaboration, and collective action, aiming to explore how storytelling can enhance understanding, inspire action, and bridge divides for a sustainable future.
The conference boasts a robust agenda featuring a keynote address by Ernest House Jr, Senior Policy Director and Director for the Center of Tribal and Indigenous Engagement at the Keystone Policy Center. A storytelling segment will be presented by New Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson, Professor Beth Osnes from CU Boulder, and Destiny Hardney and Wayne Watts from the Dream Create Inspire Tour.
The second part of the summit focuses on an overview of state work and two breakout sessions that harness the power of storytelling for both funding and finding common ground across diverse voices.
- Session 1, titled "Telling Your Story: Framing Community Needs, Opportunities, and Successes to Funders," features speakers Evan Barrientos, Conservation Filmmaker and Photographer from Fireforest, and Phaedra Pezzullo, Associate Professor at CU Boulder. The session will be facilitated by Marguerite Harden of the CRO.
- Session 2, "Finding Common Ground Through Storytelling," includes speakers Sarah Bucci from Climate Nexus, Heather Bergman, Senior Facilitator and President of Peak Facilitation, and Patrick Keyes, Assistant Professor at CSU Department of Atmospheric Science. The session will be facilitated by Julia Masters of the CRO. These sessions aim to highlight the diverse ways storytelling can be employed to drive positive change in climate resilience.
The 2023 Annual Progress Report for the Colorado Resiliency Framework Implementation
The Colorado Resiliency Working Group, a multi-agency collaboration overseen by the Colorado Resiliency Office and entrusted with managing the Colorado Resiliency Framework (CRF), is set to showcase its 2023 achievements. The report underscores progress in each of the six Priority Implementation Areas:
- Agriculture and Food Security
- Building and Infrastructure Sustainability
- Climate and Natural Hazards Resilience
- Community Capacity
- Future Ready Economy and Workforce
- Housing Attainability
Recognizing climate change as the paramount threat to the state's resiliency, the report highlights interagency advancements in climate adaptation. Additionally, the document outlines strides in responding to recent legislation, implementing programs, securing funding, and shares community success stories from the year 2023.
Released today, on January 8th, 2024, the Annual Progress Report, along with the Colorado Resiliency Framework, is accessible on the Colorado Resiliency Office's website. This comprehensive update aims to provide insights into the state's resilience progress and strategies across diverse priority areas.
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