Gov. Jared Polis issued two executive orders Sunday to assist the state in responding to the avian flu and the aftermath of a wildfire in southern Colorado.

The first executive order extended the declaration of the avian flu as a state of disaster emergency. The avian flu, also known as the bird flu or the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, is a disease that spreads rapidly among birds with a mortality rate of over 90%.

The avian flu was first detected in the United States among wild birds in January, and spread to domestic poultry by February. The disease reached Colorado in March, having been confirmed in 14 counties, affecting millions of birds in wild, domestic and commercial flocks. In late April, a Colorado man became the first person in the country to test positive for the disease.

“The risk for disease introductions remains as additional detections are made in wild bird populations,” the executive order read. “Two additional commercial sites were identified in Weld County on June 7, 2022 and June 9, 2022, impacting 2.2 million chickens.”

Under the disaster declaration, state agencies are able to coordinate their efforts regarding spread mitigation, response, consequence management and recovery. With the extension, the disaster declaration is now scheduled to expire in 30 days.

The second executive order was issued in response to the Menkhaven Fire that burned in Conejos County earlier this month. The wildfire, sparked by a tree falling on a power line on May 28, burned 242 acres before firefighters fully contained the blaze on June 7, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The executive order extended the state of disaster emergency for the wildfire for an additional 30 days, allowing the coordination of government recovery efforts and making funding available from the Disaster Emergency Fund. 

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