Big Thompson Watershed
Wildfire Ready Action Plan
What Is It
The Wildfire Ready Action Plan (WRAP) is a proactive, science-based roadmap to help communities in the Big Thompson watershed reduce the risks and impacts of postwildfire flooding, erosion, and water contamination. Developed through Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Wildfire Ready Watersheds initiative, the WRAP uses cutting-edge modeling to identify areas most susceptible to post-fire hazards—and helps prioritize actions that can protect people, water, and infrastructure before wildfires occur.
Why It Was Developed
Increasing wildfire risk poses serious threats to the Big Thompson’s rivers, forests, and communities. By developing a WRAP, we will move from reactive disaster response to prewildfire resilience planning, reducing future recovery costs and protecting life, property, and precious water resources. This plan gives us the tools to be ready—not just responsive.
Who Was Involved
Peaks to People Water Fund served as Project Sponsor, working closely with a core team of:
Big Thompson Watershed Coalition (BTWC)
Estes Valley Watershed Coalition (EVWC)
Larimer Conservation District (LCD)
Together, we secured funding from Colorado Water Conservation Board, Northern Water, BTWC and EVWC and hired Matrix Design Group to lead technical modeling and planning. More than 30 local, state, and federal partners participated in developing the plan, contributing insights, data, and priorities.
This map is one of the tools produced to help identify areas that would be most susceptible to post fire impacts. It considers the overlap of hazard modeling at the HUC 12 level with values at risk such as homes, roads, and other critical infrastructure. The darkest areas are those with the highest susceptibility, meaning the overlap of more severe potential hazards with many values at risk. Because the values at risk are not weighted differently, this analysis can not be used for insurance assessment purposes. If you are interested in more information about projects identified, please contact Peaks to People at info@peakstopeople.org.
What We Accomplished
- We engaged stakeholders in visioning and goal setting, resulting in shared core values:
Safety, Resiliency, Environment, Community, Sustainability, and Water - We conducted in-depth hazard modeling for the entire 800+ sq.mile watershed
- We overlaid post fire hazard data with Values at Risk (like water systems, homes, and roads)
- We identified 100+ potential mitigation projects in high-risk areas
- Stakeholders reviewed and ranked the top project ideas.
- The top 17 projects were developed into Project Cut Sheets—high-level project summaries that include goals, benefits, location, and readiness and will help us secure funding and support landowner outreach.
What Comes Next
Our WRAP won’t sit on a shelf. It will drive real, on-the-ground work. Resulting projects may include:
- Stream corridor restoration and resiliency
- Post-fire flood mitigation
- Forest health treatments
- Infrastructure protection
- Landowner education and outreach
These projects will enhance the long-term resilience of the Big Thompson watershed— safeguarding water, forests, and communities for generations to come.
Big Thompson Watershed Wildfire Ready Action Plan Stakeholders
Big Thompson Watershed Coalition
City of Greeley Water and Sewer
City of Loveland Utilities
City of Loveland Open Lands/Trails
Colorado Department of Transportation
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Colorado State Forest Service
Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance
Estes Valley Fire Protection District
Estes Valley Land Trust
Estes Valley Watershed Coalition
Fort Collins Utilities
Glen Haven Volunteer Fire Department
Greeley and Loveland Irrigation Company
Larimer Conservation District
Larimer County
Larimer County Conservation Corps
Larimer County Commissioner
Larimer County Natural Resources
Larimer County Office of Emergency Management
Larimer County Sheriff’s Office
Larimer County Information Technology Division
Loveland Fire Rescue Authority
Natural Resource Conservation Service
North Front Range Water Quality Planning Association
Northern Water Conservancy District
Peaks to People Water Fund
The Ember Alliance
The Nature Conservancy
Town of Estes Park
Town of Estes Park Power & Communications
Upper Thompson Sanitation District
US Fish and Wildlife Service
US Forest Service