The Cache La Poudre Initiative

The Big Picture

After years of protection from wildfire, Colorado’s forests have become dense and overgrown, increasing the risk of severe wildfires that threaten water supplies with sedimentation and debris. As we saw in June 2012, when the High Park fire burned nearly 90,000 acres west of Fort Collins, our drinking water was impacted by sedimentation from the fire, affecting communities and businesses that depend on clean water. Peaks to People is confronting this continuing and serious threat to our water security by launching vital initiatives for both the Cache la Poudre and the The Big Thompson watersheds to ensure the protection of our largest and most critical clean water sources for Northern Colorado.

The Initiative Goals

In concert with the Big Thompson Initiative, the Cache La Poudre Initiative continues our efforts to protect the watershed with capital investments in forest restoration, combined with a strong focus on other long-lasting and beneficial efforts, such as:

• Accelerate the use of prescribed fire
• Calculate the financial benefits of other ecosystem services, such as avoided impacts to recreation
• Continue education and outreach programs for the public
• Explore funding mechanisms to scale up forest restoration
• Explore and advocate policy needs
• Explore forest product utilization