Learn more about our sponsor, YVEA

Yampa Valley Electric Association (YVEA), a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative serving over 23,000 members across northwest Colorado and southern Wyoming, is committed to powering communities with safe, reliable, and affordable power, while providing members the ability to meet their own sustainability goals.

With 2,840 miles of electrical line spanning Steamboat Springs, Craig, Hayden, Yampa, Oak Creek, and beyond, YVEA’s mission is to provide clean, safe, and reliable electric service to their members. Across six departments, more than 80 employees are working toward a brighter and more resilient future for all member-owners.

One of the important steps in ensuring a resilient and safe system is through Vegetation Management and the clearing of rights-of-way. YVEA works to maintain a vegetation-free zone of at least 15 feet around all YVEA structures. Maintaining this right-of-way often requires the trimming, pruning, or removal of trees that impede that zone.

The primary drivers for maintaining this clearance are to prevent outages and reduce wildfire risks. An outage can occur when a tree limb falls onto or makes contact with power lines. If a tree falls on a YVEA line, it creates an ignition point that could lead to a fire.

A Red Flag Warning means warm temperatures, very low humidities, and stronger winds are expected to combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger. When a Red Flag Warning is issued for YVEA’s service territory, we notify members and put our system into Fire Protection Mode (FPM). These settings are intended to improve public safety during heightened fire risk conditions, but it means power outages, if they occur, are likely to last longer than typical outages. YVEA will position crews to respond as quickly as possible after the high-risk period.

YVEA plays a vital role in wildfire prevention and electrical reliability through its year-round vegetation management program. Crews regularly clear overgrowth near power lines by trimming, pruning, and removing trees—all at no cost to members.

But YVEA doesn’t stop there. As a supporter of YVSC’s ReTree events, YVEA helps turn vegetation management into a complete cycle of regeneration. In 2023, ReTree volunteers planted more than 5,000 native trees and willows across Routt County. These efforts help restore burn scars, strengthen riparian habitats, and promote long-term climate resilience.

It’s not just about electricity—it’s about protecting the communities we live in and serve.

Learn more at YVEA.com.