DENVER WATER (GROSS RESERVOIR PROPERTY)

After the catastrophic Buffalo Creek Fire in 1997, Denver Water officials became keenly aware of the need for a watershed management and protection program. A recently completed and funded Forest Stewardship Plan is now guiding the management activities on this important parcel of land. Gross Reservoir is a source of both drinking and irrigation water for the north Denver metro area and towns in eastern Boulder County. Denver Water has been implementing noxious weed control activities for several years and will participate in a joint prescribed burn project with the U.S. Forest Service this year to improve elk winter range habitat just west of Gross Reservoir.

The primary contact for Denver Water is Rusty Christiansen. Rusty is manager of the Gross Reservoir Property and works with personnel from the City of Denver's Environmental Planning and Property Management departments. Dale Beverly is the caretaker of the Gross Reservoir site.

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Eldorado Canyon State Park is currently conducting wildfire mitigation and noxious weed control activities. The state park just south of Boulder is a popular recreation and climbing area. The Colorado State Forest Service provides technical assistance to private landowners throughout the state. Craig Jones of the CSFS Boulder District serves as Interagency Project Coordinator. The U.S. Forest Service manages approximately 10,000 acres of public land across the project area. Ecosystem health, wildlife habitat improvement, wildfire mitigation and responsible recreation use are of primary concern to this land management agency.
Boulder County is a key partner is the ecosystem management effort, with extensive and ongoing efforts on its Walker Ranch and Reynolds Ranch open space properties. The City of Boulder provides significant support to this overall effort. The newly formed Open Space and Mt. Parks Department and the Wildland Fire Division are conducting thinning, prescribed burns and noxious weed control activities on the nearly 4,400 acres of land within the project boundaries. Denver Water owns and manages nearly 1,200 acres of property, including Gross Reservoir and the surrounding land. Primary areas of focus for  Denver Water here is wildfire mitigation and watershed health and improvement.

The Boulder County Ecosystem Cooperative

(BCEC) -- the parent organization of the Winiger Ridge Project -- was established to identify and promote innovative ecosystem restoration management opportunities. A  consortium of environmental groups, private and public land owners collaborated to form goals for the BCEC.

Fire Protections Districts (FPDs)

There are five Fire Protection Districts in the Winiger Ridge Project area. These FPD's provide operational support and assist with education activities involving wildfire mitigation. The Cherryvale FPD has been involved with the project since the formation of the Boulder County Ecosystem Cooperative and is actively involved in this partnership effort

Private landowners are a key constituent to the project. In order to implement stewardship across boundaries, landowners and homeowner associations are encouraged to work with public land management agencies to improve ecosystem health and reduce wildfire hazard.