Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Project

 

Aerial view of the Elkhorn Creek drainage in the Red Feather Lakes Area.

A community member helps build slash piles at a workshop hosted by CPRW (Photo credit: Evan Barrientos)

Project Background

The Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Project will improve the wildfire defense of the entire Red Feather Lakes area, accomplished through specific risk reduction and preparedness activities. Project activities will occur within the geographic boundaries (see map below) defined in the four current Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) (see below) and are designed to meet goals outlined in these current CWPPs. Project activities will include: wildfire mitigation treatments in open space, along roadways and on private properties; education on home ignition zone concepts and mitigation work to establish or improve defensible space; improvements to community wildfire evacuation routes, plans and procedures; and enhancing of community capacity to deal with post-treatment woody biomass. All components together will dramatically reduce wildfire risk in the Red Feather Lakes area, to save lives, protect property, improve forest and watershed health, and improve the resilience of the Red Feather Lakes area.

 

Project Goals

  • To implement wildfire mitigation treatments in open space, along roadways and on private properties

  • Education on home ignition zone concepts and mitigation work to establish or improve defensible space

  • Improvements to evacuation routes, plans and procedures

  • Enhancing of community capacity to deal with post-treatment woody biomass

  • Improvements to community wildfire preparedness and building of social capital to improve community resilience

Project Timeline: 2025-2029


Implementation of Community Wildfire Protection Plans

This award, and the CWDG grant program in general, will help to fund priorities outlined in the Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) written and adopted by these project communities: Cherokee Meadows, Crystal Lakes, Glacier View and Poudre Canyon. CWPPs are authorized and defined in the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA), and they represent one of the best opportunities we have to address the challenges of the wildland-urban interface (WUI) in a way that brings about locally-centered and -supported solutions in a comprehensive manner through shared stewardship and collaboration.

 
 

Red Feather Lakes Area Map (click to enlarge).

Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Grant Budget by Outcomes

 

Project Activities

Roadway Treatments

Learn More

Woody Biomass Reduction

COMING SOON!

Defensible Space & Home Ignition Zones

COMING SOON!

Stand-Scale Treatments

COMING SOON!

Evacuation Planning

COMING SOON!

Community Outreach & Education

COMING SOON!
 

Main Contacts

  • Daniel Bowker, Forests Program Manager, Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed, daniel@poudrewatershed.org

  • Josh Roberts, Mitigation Coordinator, Larimer County Office of Emergency Management, josh.roberts@larimer.gov

 

Upcoming Events

 

  • August 15: Forest Health & Wildfire Mitigation in the Red Feather Lakes Area - Community Meeting

    • Join the Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest and Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) on August 15 from 3–5 p.m. at Crystal Lakes Basecamp for an informational session on upcoming forest health projects near Red Feather Lakes, including including the US Forest Service West Crystal mechanical fuels treatment project and the Cornelius prescribed fire project, both parts of the greater Black Diamond Landscape Resiliency & Risk Reduction Project. Learn how these efforts support wildfire risk reduction and connect to broader community-led planning through Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), the Red Feather Lakes Area Wildfire Defense Project, and current FEMA projects.

 

August 16: Cameron Peak Fire 5-Year Commemoration

  • Join us as we come together to mark the 5th anniversary of the Cameron Peak Fire - a day to remember the impacts, honor those affected, and celebrate the strength and unity of our community. This public event will feature guest speakers, community stories, resources for ongoing recovery and preparedness, and opportunities to connect with first responders, recovery partners, and neighbors. Please RSVP >> so we have a headcount.



Community Meetings - Presentations

  • Nov. 7, 2024 - Advisory Team Meeting - View Slides >>

  • January 16, 2025 - “Prioritizing and Implementing Roadside

    Fuel Treatments” by Dr. Meg Matonis, The Ember Alliance - View Slides >>

Project Updates

 

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • The grant performance period is five years, which will begin when contracts are executed (anticipated in winter 2024/25).

  • The communities of Cherokee Meadows, Crystal Lakes, Glacier View and Poudre Canyon, each of which has a completed Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP).

  • An advisory team made up of representatives from each community as well as staff from Larimer County and CPRW will decide how funds are distributed based on priorities outlined in already completed CWPPs. In addition, best available science, data and modeling will help to inform funding decisions.

  • No, those decisions will be made through community input and prioritization, in consultation with the advisory team (including best available science, etc.), and the steering committee. projects outlined in each communities’ CWPPs at the time of grant application (fall 2023) are the projects that will be eligible for implementation under this grant.

 

Funders

Partners