The Bureau of Land Management recently partnered with the Western Colorado Conservation Corps and is helping to fund the work of crew members working for WCCC. This year was the first year the corps put together an all-female fire crew in Colorado. The women came from all across the United States to work on fuels projects and are on-call for any fires that require assistance in the state. The goal of the program is to increase diversity in the fire program by creating entry-level opportunities to help with recruitment. The women are learning skills that will be helpful in getting a position with a wildland fire program in BLM or other land management agencies. Marissa Wyatt, age 22, from Florida was inspired to go into this line of work by a former project sponsor who was an older female firefighter. “I have a great group of women to work with out here, and the work is really empowering,” she said. “Running chainsaws all day — you really can’t beat it.”