Great Outdoors Colorado granted Winter Park and the Headwaters Trails Alliance $37,800 to reduce wildfire risk in the area.

Per GOCO, the money will be used to clear dead trees. The grant is part of GOCO’s conservation service corps program, so a Rocky Mountain Youth Corps group will help conduct the work.

A Rocky Mountain Youth Corps chainsaw crew will help remove hazard trees over a period of four weeks. Forests in and around Winter Park were heavily impacted by the pine beetle epidemic, as well as more recent derechos and last year’s Williams Fork Fire.

“These resources will result in communities safer from wildland fire, waterways flowing free from invasive species, and enhanced recreation infrastructure to support our outdoor economy,” said Scott Segerstrom, executive director of the Colorado Youth Corps Association. “Most importantly, this partnership will create hundreds of jobs that will be filled by youth and young adults recruited from communities across the state. The professional development and leadership growth they experience will be the amazing legacy of this investment.”

The project is a continuance of the partnership between the Headwaters Trails Alliance and the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps.

Between this year and last year, Headwaters Trails Alliance cleared 30,000 trees as part of the derecho clean-ups. Additionally, around 9,720 hazard trees were removed from trails in 2021.