In January 2012, members of Colorado’s cultural resources community, including Denver Alliance for Response, met with the Colorado Division of Emergency Management (CDEM) to discuss the scope of cultural resources within the state’s existing emergency preparedness efforts. CDEM invited the cultural resources community to create a Cultural Resources Task Force to continue working with CDEM.

The statewide emergency preparedness effort launched its kick-off meeting in May 2012. In 2013, the Colorado Cultural and Historic Resources Alliance (CCAHRA) was formed. A year later, the name was changed to the Cultural and Historic Resources (CHR) Task Force, reflecting the cooperative mission of the organization, empowered by a variety of resources under unified leadership. The CHR Task Force is a network of more than 100 individuals representing a wide range of institutions, including local historical societies, historic sites, museums, archives, libraries, and local and state emergency management agencies, throughout Colorado. Sponsored by the Center for Colorado & the West at the University of Colorado Denver and the Colorado Office of Emergency Management, the CHR Task Force works to improve the State of Colorado’s mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts for cultural and historic resources during disasters.