The first meeting of the nine-member Routt County Climate Action Plan Collaborative Board takes place Friday, Jan. 28, with the new group tasked with the weighty mission of facilitating progress on the Routt County Climate Action Plan.

Routt County Environmental Health Director Scott Cowman said one of the initial tasks of the Collaborative Board will be to set up six sector working groups that will need community volunteers. Citizens with interest and expertise in the sector areas will be asked to volunteer for one of the groups including: energy, transportation, land use, waste, accountability and economics.

During an online conversation Monday evening as part of the Bud Werner Memorial Library’s current One Book Steamboat program, Cowman encouraged all interested volunteers to review the Climate Action Plan fully at RouttClimateAction.com. Community members can submit questions and sign up for a Climate Action Plan informational email list under the Get Involved section on the website.

The Climate Action Plan (CAP) was developed through the past several years and completed in June. The plan was officially adopted by all the municipalities in the county last year. The CAP is an actionable document that will help guide the community toward implementing climate action solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance long-term resiliency and sustainability in the county.

Members of the Collaborative Board are: Ryan Banks, from Hayden Town Council; Geoff Blakeslee, retired community member; Steamboat Springs City Council member Gail Garey; Michael Geanious, from Yampa Town Council; Steve Johnson, from Yampa Valley Electric Association; Sarah Jones, from Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp.; Nikki Knoebel, from Oak Creek Town Council; Routt County Commissioner Beth Melton; and Tim Wohlgenant, from Yampa Valley Community Foundation.