by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
$9.8M investment will strengthen protection for Estes Park and Big Thompson Canyon
Larimer County will receive a $9.8 million Community Wildfire Defense Grant from the USDA Forest Service, launching a five-year project designed to reduce wildfire risk and improve community preparedness across the Estes Park region and the Big Thompson Canyon corridor.
The initiative, titled Protecting the Gateway to the Rockies, brings extensive mitigation work to one of Northern Colorado’s most vulnerable gateways. Local partners—including the Estes Valley Watershed Coalition—say the effort will significantly enhance community resilience, reduce fire danger near homes, and improve evacuation routes for thousands of residents and visitors who depend on the canyon for access.
The project includes Home Ignition Zone treatments on up to 900 parcels, landscape-scale mitigation across 500 acres, strategic fuels reduction along seven miles of roadways, improved evacuation planning, and a series of community education and preparedness events.
Learn more at: www.peakstopeople.org/gateway/
The Estes Valley Watershed Coalition is one of several collaborating groups helping lead this countywide wildfire defense strategy.
Find more Northern Colorado wildfire updates at NorthFortyNews.com.
Attribution: Estes Valley Watershed Coalition