COLORADO SPRINGS — Community volunteers teamed up to help the Colorado Springs Fire Department’s Mitigation Section and City Parks’ and Forestry staff to finish fire mitigation work at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site today.
About 20 volunteers gathered to show their care for this historic site. The team worked hard to mitigate this area, in the hopes of protecting this land if a fire were to break out.
The workers spent the day removing limbs from trees, chipping dead wood pieces and fallen debris, removing diseased Gambel oak, and other dead trees, including chokecherry trees. All of today’s mitigation efforts aim to support a healthy oak brush ecosystem here at Rock Ledge Ranch. Something locals are thankful for.
“Community involvement and showing ownership, and being a part of something bigger than ourselves, I think that’s very important for the community, the neighborhood, and the city parks,” said John Hulett, Rock Ledge Ranch, Maintenance and Historian.
“I think Garden of the Gods is a jewel for our community, and we know from the Waldo Canyon Fire, how close fire came to destroying this beautiful site, so if we don’t mitigate it and protect it, it is at risk of being lost in the next major fire,” said Richard Idler, a local resident.
A quarter of an acre was worked on by these volunteers this past week and they were able to complete the planned work fully this morning. Their mitigation efforts help preserve this historic site for locals and passersby to enjoy.
Volunteer opportunities come up periodically. You can check for them at coloradosprings.gov.
