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$4 million in federal funds released for Upper Colorado River Basin watershed restoration

Images of charred wood lay across a river stream with a mountain backdrop.
Kathryn Scott
/
The Colorado Sun
Devastation from the East Troublesome fire can be seen looking across the Kawuneeche Valley in the Green Mountain area on the west side of the Park. In fall 2020, Colorado saw the two largest wildfires in state history: The Cameron Peak Fire and the East Troublesome Fire. While the bulk of these fires were on lands surrounding Rocky Mountain National Park, nearly 30,000 acres burned within the park boundary. Months after the fires were finally extinguished, Park officials spend a day touring the effected areas inside the Park on June 17, 2021 in Estes Park, Colorado.

Millions of dollars in federal funding have been released to continue restoring lands and streams in the fire-scarred Upper Colorado River Basin watershed in and around Grand Lake and Rocky Mountain National Park.

The roughly $4 million was frozen in February and was released in April, according to Northern Water, a major Colorado water provider and one of the agencies that coordinate with the federal government and agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service to conduct the work.

Esther Vincent, Northern Water’s director of environmental services, said the federal government gave no reason for the freeze and release of funds.

The amounts and timing of the freeze and release are being reported here for the first time.

U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse, who represents Grand County, did not respond to a request for comment regarding the funds.

To read the full article, visit The Colorado Sun.