Boulder, Colo. – September 18, 2026 -- Two new murals have gone up in Nederland and Lyons, Colorado, part of a campaign urging homeowners to treat wildfire mitigation as routine home upkeep rather than an emergency response.
Wildfire Partners commissioned the artwork to reach residents directly
The murals, funded by Boulder County's Wildfire Partners program, are located at Nederland Feed and Pet on CO-72 in Nederland and on Broadway between 4th and 5th Ave. in Lyons. Artists Taylor Shaw and Rachel Dinda designed the pieces, each carrying the campaign headline "Home Sweet Mitigated Home" alongside embedded images of properly mitigated homes -- including examples of removed juniper plants, a highly combustible landscaping choice near many county houses.
The USDA ranks Boulder County among the region's highest wildfire risks
The U.S. Forest Service places Boulder County in the top 10 most at-risk areas for wildfire in the Rocky Mountain Region. A 2025 Colorado State University analysis found the state's average annual wildfire count jumped from 13 in the 1990s to more than 70 by the 2020s.
Online searches for juniper removal have climbed since June
Boulder County has tracked steady weekly increases in searches for terms like "junk your junipers" and "boulder county juniper removal" since June 2026, a trend Wildfire Partners hopes the murals will sustain. Jim Webster, the program's manager, said many residents recognize the wildfire threat but aren't sure where to start protecting their homes, and that mitigation should become a normal part of home maintenance.
Free giveaways and a $500 rebate accompany the campaign
The mural designs also appear on tote bags and stickers, which will go to the first 20 people who post a photo at either mural and tag @wildfirepartners on Instagram or Facebook, sharing which mitigation step they plan to take. Wildfire Partners suggests starting with low-cost tasks such as cleaning gutters and clearing clutter from under decks. For bigger projects, county residents can apply for a rebate of up to $500 through the program, funded by the Wildfire Mitigation Sales Tax that Boulder County voters approved in 2022.