Wildfires are hard on drinking water supplies. They burn off vegetation on banks and hillslopes, which leads to erosion. The erosion causes sediment to wash into the waters that supply our drinking water. The water can get so muddy that it becomes impossible to treat.

Boulder Watershed Collective (BWC) and the City of Boulder were recently awarded a grant via Colorado’s Strategic Wildfire Action Program. The purpose of the grant, says Kate Dunlap, Watershed Project Manager, City of Boulder Utilities, was to “foster more resilient forest conditions, slow the spread of a fire moving towards Nederland, and protect drinking water.”

It’s a new grant program, and it is not monetary. Instead, the grant allowed the BWC to partner with the Larimer County Conservation Corps. The Corps educates and trains young adults by having them do the project work. They are paid by Colorado’s Department of Natural Resources. It seems a bit complicated (I haven’t even mentioned Arapaho Ranch yet); that is so, instead of writing a big check to existing contractors, young people get trained, more jobs are created, and the work gets done.

It looks a lot like wildfire mitigation, but instead of focusing on protecting homes, it protects sources of drinking water. Of course, the project is located upwind from Nederland, so it could help to slow the spread of a fire into town.

Here’s what happened at the Ranch:

First, The City of Boulder provided seed money, which was used to locate potential project locations.

The areas identified included a 30-acre portion of Arapaho Ranch, because Barker Reservoir is downstream and downwind from it. The Ranch is accessible and relatively flat. It offered the additional benefits of protecting Nederland, the water treatment plant, and the high school, from wildfire. The project would also provide moose, elk, and other wildlife additional shrubs and other vegetation.

Next, the property owner – it’s Kayla Evans! - was contacted and she gave her consent.

Finally, the Larimer County Conservation Corp sent out the young adults, who felled the trees, chipped the slash, and hauled the slash offsite. More specifically, they removed most of the lodgepole pines, which are less fire resilient than ponderosas. They also removed some of the small trees that have come up in the last hundred years, leaving the older ones more space and more sunlight. They cleared around the aspen, which are very fire resistant (no needles, not many branches, and they hold a lot of moisture), to promote more aspen growth. They removed the slash, limbed trees to eliminate ladder fuels, and spaced canopies, so fire couldn’t easily spread from one tree, or group of trees, to the next.

The value of the grant has been estimated at about $120,000. Dunlap explains, “Forest health projects are expensive. Therefore receiving a grant like this from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources not only helps to ensure these projects get done, but also provides training and jobs for young adults interested in getting into forestry.”

The work will be wrapped up late next spring. The water will be protected, the forest will be healthy, and the wildlife will be happy. Kayla is already happy, and thankful: “I had the joy of going out to dinner with all these guys last night. They are hardworking, really nice young people, it’s a treat. I made sure they’re all registered to vote.”

Thank you Kayla, for letting this project go forward on your land.