About Us
Founded after the devastating Waldo Canyon Fire, The Flying W Ranch Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado whose primary focus is to restore and mitigate the Waldo Canyon burn area. This area of the burn is now subject to erosion, mud slides and flooding which threaten Colorado Springs’ municipal water supply and the neighboring community downstream.
Our Work Includes:
Installing log erosion control structures to stabilize hill slopes and drainages prone to flood events
Planting seed and spreading mulch over various acres of burned terrain
Planting saplings to jumpstart the restoration of the forest
Removing noxious weeds
About The Fire
At approximately noon on Saturday, June 23rd, 2012, the Waldo Canyon Fire was ignited. By July 18th, local firefighting operations had contained the wildfire at 18,247 acres. Though smaller in acreage than the Hayman Fire of 2002, the Waldo Canyon Fire was one of the most destructive fire to the people of Colorado in recent history, killing two people, burning 346 homes, and forcing the evacuation of over 32,000 people. The losses felt by those affected by the wildfire are longstanding, but will ultimately fall short of the strength gained as a community through our restoration efforts. Of the total acres burned in the fire, 14,422 acres were National Forest land, 3,678 acres were private land, and 147 acres were Department of Defense land. These lands spanned five major watersheds within the Pike National Forest, including those of Headwater Fountain Creek, Cascade Creek-Fountain Creek, Garden of the Gods, West Monument Creek, and Lower Monument Creek.
Due to the location of ignition and local weather reports showing no lightning in the area on the 23rd, the fire is assumed to be human-caused. The exact cause, however, is still under investigation.
BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response)
Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) is the risk management program that serves as a systematic response to wildfires nationwide, and is carried out by local fire agencies. The purpose of BAER is “to identify imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property and critical natural or cultural resources and take immediate actions to manage unacceptable risks.” BAER often begins during a wildfire, as was the case with the Waldo Canyon Fire, and continues until the burned area is restored. The BAER program is organized by the following responses.
Emergency Stabilization
Planned actions taken within one year of containment to stabilize and prevent unacceptable degradation to natural and cultural resources, to minimize threats to life or property resulting from the effects of a fire, or to repair/replace/construct physical improvements necessary to prevent degradation of land or resources.
Fire Skills Restoration
The following field guide was created after extensive fire restoration implementation and monitoring throughout the state of Colorado. The techniques described have been tested and found successful in burn scars including those resulting from the 2002 Hayman Fire and the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire. This handbook is not intended to be an exhaustive guide to fire restoration techniques, but rather a resource for implementing the most common techniques.
This handbook is a collaboration of the Coalition for the Upper South Platte, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, and the Rocky Mountain Field Institute.
Volunteer Opportunities
If you’re interested in volunteering, or becoming a sponsor please contact us