It’s been a great year for Peaks to People Water Fund, and I hope it has been a great year for you as well. As I reflect back on what we have accomplished so far, I am also excited to envision what is to come.
This past year, we completed 100 acres of work on our two fire mitigation demonstration sites. In partnership with the Colorado State Forest Service, much of the residual fuels were removed from our demonstration site in the Big Thompson watershed through manual removal and pile burning. The Nature Conservancy conducted a prescribed burn at our Cache la Poudre site on the Ben Delatour Scout Ranch. Twelve agencies worked together to execute the burn on our site along with another unit of the Elkhorn Creek Forest Health Initiative led by the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed. We also launched our new Watershed Investment Tool with the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute. This groundbreaking tool allows water beneficiaries to make the wisest choices in investing in forest management to protect water resources from severe wildfire. We have a new name, website and video thanks to the fabulous work of One Tribe Creative.
Next year, I look forward to working with our new Board of Directors, Steering Committee and partners as we begin in earnest to get to the mission of Peaks to People – to set ambitious goals for wildfire mitigation in our watersheds and secure the resources to achieve those goals. I am looking forward to sharing our new performance tracking tools in which we will track progress of fire mitigation work in the Cache la Poudre and Big Thompson and report on the many benefits of these projects. We’ll also get the message out to the public about the need for this work through advertising and social media campaigns.
I am so grateful for our founders, The Center for Collaborative Conservation, The Nature Conservancy, and all of our partners and supporters. Peaks to People would not be here today without you. If you would like to help support Peaks to People through a year-end contribution, please visit https://www.nocofoundation.org/donate
Wishing you all the best this holiday season and looking forward to sharing our accomplishments over the next year.
Best regards,
Heather Schinkel
Director, Peaks to People Water Fund
Our health, wealth and quality of life all depend on our greatest resource – water. But severe wildfires are threatening the watersheds that supply water to our businesses and communities. Peaks to People exists to change that.
