Projects
East Pole Hill Forest Restoration
Peaks to People is contributing $5,000 to restore 65 acres of private land in the Pole Hill and Pinewood communities located just west of Loveland, Colorado. This treatment area builds upon over 400 acres of forest restoration work LCD has completed to date across 18 different properties in the community. These communities are situated in a densely populated and geographically condensed area, reflecting a massive risk for residents in the event of a wildfire. One ingress and egress route exist to and from the community, showing the necessity for continued forest restoration work in an effort to make this area more resilient to wildfire. This project will build on past and planned fuel treatments in the area, including those funded by Peaks to People in the Pole Hill community. The East Pole Hill project is in a catchment that drains to the Big Thompson River via Cottonwood and Dry Creeks, not to Pinewood Reservoir. Their position upwind of Pinewood, Flatiron, Carter Lake, and the soon to be Chimney Hollow Reservoirs could mitigate fire spread into the watersheds directly draining to these critical components of the Colorado-Big Thompson system. The downstream values include Barnes Ditch and the Loveland Greeley Canal which are valued by the City of Greeley. The properties fall within an area with moderate risk to water supplies.
Cheley Camp – Fox Creek Forest Restoration
Peaks to People has provided $28,000 for this 18 acre project located roughly 8 miles West of Loveland, Colorado in rural Larimer County. Fox Creek drains into the North Fork of the Big Thompson River. The downstream values include Barnes Ditch, the Loveland Greeley Canal, the Loveland pipeline, the Dille tunnel, and George Rist ditch which are valued by the Cities of Greeley and Loveland, and Northern Water. The project area sits adjacent to several planned and completed forest health projects done by various organizations in the greater Glen Haven vicinity.
Cheley Camp – Main Camp Forest Restoration
Peaks to People also provided $28,000 in funding for a 40 acre project on the main campus of Cheley Camps four miles south of Estes Park, Colorado. Similar to the Fox Creek Restoration project near the town of Glen Haven, the main campus also drains to the mainstem of the Big Thompson River with numerous downstream values important to the Cities of Greeley and Loveland, and Northern Water. This project is a continuation of work on the main campus which has been ongoing since 2021.
Cherokee Park Forest Restoration
We have committed $30,000 to an important project being implemented by Larimer Conservation District (LCD) within the Cherokee Park community in northern Larimer County. This contribution is a part of our ongoing Cache La Poudre Initiative, which, in conjunction with our Big Thompson Initiative, underscores our commitment to safeguarding the watershed through strategic investments in forest restoration. The project is situated within the Poudre River Ranch Homeowners Association and the Diamond Creek Road Association in the Livermore, CO area. The Trail Creek watershed drains into the North Fork, and then mainstem, of the Cache la Poudre River. There are major municipal water diversions for the Cities of Fort Collins and Greeley on both the North Fork and mainstem of the Cache la Poudre River. Halligan and Milton Seaman Reservoirs are on the North Fork. The City of Fort Collins depends on water diverted from the mainstem at either the North Poudre Supply Canal or the Fort Collins Pipeline near Gateway Natural Area.
Waltonia Forest Thinning and Wildfire Risk Reduction
Peaks to People has allocated $110,557 from our Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation (FRWRM) grant award from the Colorado State Forest Service. In total, the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) awarded $15 million to 69 applicants from 23 counties across Colorado. Peaks to People was one of only 4 organizations in Larimer County to be awarded this grant. The Waltonia property drains into the Big Thompson River. This area is characterized by high wildfire risk to water supplies and potential crown fire and sediment yield reductions could be substantial. The downstream values include Barnes Ditch, the Loveland Greeley Canal, the Loveland pipeline, the Dille tunnel, and George Rist ditch which are valued by the Cities of Greeley and Loveland, and Northern Water.
Breakiron Forest Health Project
Peaks to People provided $45,000 for this 32 acre project in the Storm Mountain Community. This community was heavily impacted by the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire including some portions of this project area however the impact to this site from the fire was minimal leaving it still very dense and in need of thinning to restore densities and species composition to historical conditions. The project area is within a single catchment that drains to the Big Thompson River via Cedar Creek. The Dille Tunnel is located just 1.5 river miles downstream of where Cedar Creek flows in the Big Thompson. The Dille Tunnel is part of the Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) system and is important for Northern Water, the Western Area Power Administration, and the City of Loveland. The City of Loveland drinking water pipeline is ~2.5 river miles downstream of the Dille Tunnel.
MacGregor Ranch Forest Health Project
This historic ranch is nestled in the Northwest corner of the Estes Valley, bordering the Rocky Mountain National Park land on the north and west sides. Peaks to People comitted $35,000 for this project to restore 160 acres, making the total of completed and planned treatment areas on the ranch 360 combined acres. The MacGregor Ranch property has several positive attributes. It’s proximity to Estes Park means it has potential to reduce fire risk to homes and tourism-dependent businesses on the north side of town. It also shares a boundary with Rocky Mountain National Park. The Muriel MacGregor Trust has already engaged in forest restoration work on their properties and the highly visible location makes it a great demonstration site to encourage more residents in the area to mitigate wildfire risk. Therefore, this project builds upon existing projects funded by Peaks to People Water Fund. The treatment units drain into Black Canyon Creek which joins the Big Thompson River < 1 mi downstream near the town of Estes. Sediment delivered to the mainstem of the Big Thompson River has potential to affect water supply infrastructure associated with the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, the City of Loveland, and the City of Greeley. Lake Estes is < 1 mi downstream of the Black Canyon Creek and Big Thompson confluence.