Patty was at the Association of Montana Floodplain Managers annual meeting yesterday in Great Falls where she accepted the Floodplain Program Ambassador award in recognition of the work Kris, Bridget, and the rest of the FloodWise team have done supporting Glendive and Dawson County, Three Forks, Musselshell County, Livingston, Petroleum County, and Montana DNRC. Thanks to Tracy Sears, the State Community Assistance Program Coordinator, for her heartfelt words about what the partnership has meant to Montana communities. We’re proud of this program! 

Our CPAW team has been busy working across Colorado, Hawaii and other states refining their approaches to wildfire, but this month they were closer to home. Ryan Handy briefed the Montana Legislature’s Environmental Quality Council on wildfire risks. And just days later, Kimi Barrett shared insights on wildfire and insurance challenges with the Economic Affairs Committee. Smarter wildfire policy is taking shape. 

Everyone on the Headwaters Economics team was able to come together yesterday for our end-of-year celebration. Custom fanny packs (some of us called them “hip packs”) were gifted to all, but the real perk was reviewing all the research, briefings and outcomes for communities we were able to deliver this year. A great team = great results. We are ready to keep it up in 2026!

Curious how your state’s rural and metropolitan areas compare? The Economic Profile System makes it easy. Search for your state, click “add more places” on the map, then choose “metro/rural portion.” You’ll get the latest data for both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan parts of your state. Visit EPS.

Ryan, Doug and Kimi are back from meeting with city planning and fire department officials in Santa Fe, NM to discuss how to best protect neighborhoods from wildfire threats. The city is the latest to join our CPAW program that is helping communities across the U.S. reduce wildfire risk and protect homes. 

We have updated our webpage that tracks public land ownership in the United States with the latest available federal data. View interactive maps and charts for all 828 million acres of federal, state, and municipal land in the U.S., including breakdowns by state and county.

Kauaʻi county in Hawaiʻi is taking community wildfire risk reduction seriously, adopting one of the most forward-looking approaches that will embed home hardening and defensible-space standards into local codes. Headwaters Economics is honored to continue this partnership to reduce wildfire risks before a disaster happens.