Community Safety Conversations: Pedals, Paws & Preparedness

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Community Safety Conversations

Pedals, Paws & Preparedness

Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley are beautiful, special places that we love to live, visit and play in but they come with risk. The biggest public safety issues our community faces are drought, wildfire, wildlife and multimodal safety threats on the trails and on the roads.

The city of Aspen invites residents, business representatives, workers and families to a free public safety open house on Thursday, July 2 from 1-3 p.m. at Galena Plaza and the Dunaway Room at the Pitkin County Library.

This casual, drop-in event will connect community members with city officials and partnering agencies on drought conditions, wildfire and emergency preparedness, wildlife safety, and multimodal transportation awareness. Attendees can enjoy pizza and an ice cream wagon while exploring interactive booths, educational resources and hands-on demonstrations.

Community members can learn how to prepare homes and families for wildfire season, drought conditions and emergencies by representatives from the city’s utilities and water departments, Aspen Fire, Pitkin County Emergency Management and the White River National Forest.

The event will feature tips on creating defensible space, understanding evacuation notices, building a go bag and signing up for emergency alerts through the ReachWell app and Pitkin Alerts.

Visitors can also learn how to safely coexist with wildlife through guidance from the city’s parks department, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Pitkin County Wildlife and Conservation. Topics will include securing trash and compost, reducing wildlife attractants and responding safely to encounters with bears, moose, wolves and mountain lions.

The open house will also highlight Aspen’s regional campaign, which encourages pedestrians, cyclists, e-bike riders, drivers and trail users to share pathways safely through courtesy, awareness and predictable behavior.

The goal of the event is to make important safety information accessible, practical and engaging. Residents are encouraged to stop by, ask questions and leave with useful tips they can apply in their daily lives.

The open house will feature three educational stations:

• Drought, wildfire and emergency preparedness: Learn how to prepare homes, property and families for wildfire season, drought conditions and other emergencies.

Aspen City Council in mid-May approved stage 3 water restrictions, which limit water usage significantly. You can learn more here.

Representatives from Aspen Fire, the city’s water and utilities departments, Pitkin County and the U.S. Forest Service will provide guidance on prevention, planning and response for potential wildfire threats.

Conversations will focus on what residents need to know when wildfires threaten the Roaring Fork Valley, including: 

  • How to create a go bag to be ready for evacuation. 

  • Understanding the difference between pre-evacuation, evacuation, and shelter-in-place orders. 

  • Tips from the Aspen Fire Department on creating defensible space around homes. 

• Wildlife safety: Community members can learn how to safely coexist with wildlife by securing trash, recycling and compost, and understanding what to do during encounters with wildlife. Staff from the city’s environmental health and parks departments, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails department will be on hand to give pro tips on all things wildlife.

Aspen is prime bear habitat. They are most active between late April and early November but can come out of their dens at any time of the year. Early action is the most effective way to keep bears wild and people safe.  

Most conflicts between people and bears can be traced to human food, garbage, pet food, bird seed or other attractants. When people, intentionally or unintentionally, leave food out for bears to find, a bear’s natural drive to eat can overcome its wariness of humans. Bears that get too comfortable around people can destroy property or even become a threat to human safety. Habituated bears often must be killed.

By educating yourself and your neighbors, humans can live responsibly with bears.

Wildlife-resistant trash containers are required and must be latched. The penalties for not complying with the City of Aspen's Trash Ordinance escalate from $250 to $500 to $1,000 per offense.

• Multimodal safety: Visitors can explore how pedestrians, cyclists, e-bike riders and drivers can safely share Aspen’s streets and pathways. Representatives from the Aspen Police Department, and the engineering and parks departments will offer safety tips and educational materials.

Attendees can learn more about the regional effort titled “Slow & Say Hello!”, a community-centered safety campaign designed to make our shared streets, trails, and pathways safer and more enjoyable for everyone.

Whether you’re walking to work, riding your bike, out with your dog, or exploring on horseback, we all share the same spaces. With more people recreating and commuting outdoors across the Roaring Fork Valley, small actions can make a big difference. A simple “hello,” a wave, or even a moment of eye contact can help prevent confusion, reduce conflicts, and create a more welcoming experience for all.

At its core, the campaign is built around six consistent ideas: Slow Down, Say Hello, Show Up, Tune In, Stay in Control, and Leave No Trace. These principles apply to everyone, regardless of how you’re getting around.

Learn more and get involved at slowandsayhello.co.

We hope to see you for Community Safety Conversations on Thursday July 2, from 1-3 p.m. so we can collectively be more educated on our public safety threats.

Community Safety Conversations

Pedals, Paws & Preparedness

Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley are beautiful, special places that we love to live, visit and play in but they come with risk. The biggest public safety issues our community faces are drought, wildfire, wildlife and multimodal safety threats on the trails and on the roads.

The city of Aspen invites residents, business representatives, workers and families to a free public safety open house on Thursday, July 2 from 1-3 p.m. at Galena Plaza and the Dunaway Room at the Pitkin County Library.

This casual, drop-in event will connect community members with city officials and partnering agencies on drought conditions, wildfire and emergency preparedness, wildlife safety, and multimodal transportation awareness. Attendees can enjoy pizza and an ice cream wagon while exploring interactive booths, educational resources and hands-on demonstrations.

Community members can learn how to prepare homes and families for wildfire season, drought conditions and emergencies by representatives from the city’s utilities and water departments, Aspen Fire, Pitkin County Emergency Management and the White River National Forest.

The event will feature tips on creating defensible space, understanding evacuation notices, building a go bag and signing up for emergency alerts through the ReachWell app and Pitkin Alerts.

Visitors can also learn how to safely coexist with wildlife through guidance from the city’s parks department, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Pitkin County Wildlife and Conservation. Topics will include securing trash and compost, reducing wildlife attractants and responding safely to encounters with bears, moose, wolves and mountain lions.

The open house will also highlight Aspen’s regional campaign, which encourages pedestrians, cyclists, e-bike riders, drivers and trail users to share pathways safely through courtesy, awareness and predictable behavior.

The goal of the event is to make important safety information accessible, practical and engaging. Residents are encouraged to stop by, ask questions and leave with useful tips they can apply in their daily lives.

The open house will feature three educational stations:

• Drought, wildfire and emergency preparedness: Learn how to prepare homes, property and families for wildfire season, drought conditions and other emergencies.

Aspen City Council in mid-May approved stage 3 water restrictions, which limit water usage significantly. You can learn more here.

Representatives from Aspen Fire, the city’s water and utilities departments, Pitkin County and the U.S. Forest Service will provide guidance on prevention, planning and response for potential wildfire threats.

Conversations will focus on what residents need to know when wildfires threaten the Roaring Fork Valley, including: 

  • How to create a go bag to be ready for evacuation. 

  • Understanding the difference between pre-evacuation, evacuation, and shelter-in-place orders. 

  • Tips from the Aspen Fire Department on creating defensible space around homes. 

• Wildlife safety: Community members can learn how to safely coexist with wildlife by securing trash, recycling and compost, and understanding what to do during encounters with wildlife. Staff from the city’s environmental health and parks departments, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails department will be on hand to give pro tips on all things wildlife.

Aspen is prime bear habitat. They are most active between late April and early November but can come out of their dens at any time of the year. Early action is the most effective way to keep bears wild and people safe.  

Most conflicts between people and bears can be traced to human food, garbage, pet food, bird seed or other attractants. When people, intentionally or unintentionally, leave food out for bears to find, a bear’s natural drive to eat can overcome its wariness of humans. Bears that get too comfortable around people can destroy property or even become a threat to human safety. Habituated bears often must be killed.

By educating yourself and your neighbors, humans can live responsibly with bears.

Wildlife-resistant trash containers are required and must be latched. The penalties for not complying with the City of Aspen's Trash Ordinance escalate from $250 to $500 to $1,000 per offense.

• Multimodal safety: Visitors can explore how pedestrians, cyclists, e-bike riders and drivers can safely share Aspen’s streets and pathways. Representatives from the Aspen Police Department, and the engineering and parks departments will offer safety tips and educational materials.

Attendees can learn more about the regional effort titled “Slow & Say Hello!”, a community-centered safety campaign designed to make our shared streets, trails, and pathways safer and more enjoyable for everyone.

Whether you’re walking to work, riding your bike, out with your dog, or exploring on horseback, we all share the same spaces. With more people recreating and commuting outdoors across the Roaring Fork Valley, small actions can make a big difference. A simple “hello,” a wave, or even a moment of eye contact can help prevent confusion, reduce conflicts, and create a more welcoming experience for all.

At its core, the campaign is built around six consistent ideas: Slow Down, Say Hello, Show Up, Tune In, Stay in Control, and Leave No Trace. These principles apply to everyone, regardless of how you’re getting around.

Learn more and get involved at slowandsayhello.co.

We hope to see you for Community Safety Conversations on Thursday July 2, from 1-3 p.m. so we can collectively be more educated on our public safety threats.

Page last updated: 21 May 2026, 09:36 AM