The Gilpin Axe & Snax organization worked on fire mitigation at the Gilpin County Library, 15131 Highway 119, Black Hawk, Colorado, 80422, and other locations on Saturday, July 9, 2022, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Axe & Snax is a fire mitigation non-profit that assists in helping those in Gilpin County and surrounding mountain areas perform fire mitigation.

The group then processes the wood to provide free firewood to residents in need to help heat their homes in winter. They operate entirely with volunteers and through donations. Board Member and Founder Julia Shaw said they have been awarded two grants in the past year, one from United Power.

Shaw said they started working with Saws and Slaws in Coal Creek Canyon. In 2019, they registered as their own nonprofit. They have their own Board of Directors.

The event on July 9 began with volunteers forming a safety circle, where they received instructions for the day and handed out lime green t-shirts with the words Axe & Snax, and the names of some of the leaders on the back. They also signed a liability form.

This can be dangerous work, Shaw said. She encouraged everyone to take a break whenever they needed it, and they had drinks and snacks available. Library Director Michael Carlson and Library Board Chair Harv Mastalir welcomed the group and thanked them for their work. They said volunteers can use the library backdoor to cool off or use the restrooms.

Shaw said they have two teams, one working at the library and another team at a different location. They had three slash piles on the east side of the library, so they would put three to four people on a tarp and drag the tarps to pickups.

Volunteers have donated trucks and trailers to haul away the slash. The team at the library has four sawyers, who manage the chain saws and have to have two days of training.

The other volunteers are the swampers, who move the debris and load it into trucks and trailers. The team members cut trees and hauled trash until a little after noon when they had lunch.

Shaw thanked Dana Jones for the incredible spread she put together for our lunch. On her Facebook page she thanked all of you who worked a long, hot and productive wildfire mitigation day at the Gilpin Public Library on Saturday.

Thanks to Mike Fetters, Sharon Perea, and Jeff Meister for providing their trucks and expertise to get so much accomplished. Also, a special thanks to all the sawyers who were able to problem solve the trickier fells that were done: Mike Fetters, Ella and Lyle Zevenbergen, Tony Zotti, Michael Carper, and Linda Martin.

“It’s always great to get to spend time together having a nice meal at the end of our work day, and we were lucky to be served such a delightful feast! Last, but definitely not least, thanks for all the hard labor our team of swampers and highway volunteers did. The swampers seemed to always be in perpetual motion that day!”

For more information, go to the Facebook page, Gilpin Axe & Snax or email axeandsnacks@gmail.com.