During – and since – the 2013 flood, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) has responded in multiple ways.
“At least half of our 14 staff members were personally affected by the flood. Many of our volunteers, too,” said Ed Self, Executive Director of the nonprofit organization that helps to protect and restore our lands. “My basement was flooded, and some of us were stranded when roads were cut off. At the same time, we did our best to regroup during office hours. We understood the tremendous need, and that our mission intersects with that need.
“At first, it seemed like there was a lot of chaos and confusion. Lots of people wanted to help, but it took a little time to get our bearings and identify the best ways to direct our efforts. Meanwhile, we focused on emergency repairs.” That meant organizing cleanup efforts in Boulder, Longmont, Lyons and beyond.
“Our first project after the flood was with the City of Lafayette on Coal Creek, cleaning up along the greenway. Some people in that neighborhood were so touched that we were helping, that they chipped in, too. In fact, one resident recently joined our board.”
Indeed, Self was amazed by how many volunteers came forward to support the organization’s relief efforts, and have willingly been recruited for future, on-the-ground projects. “Once people get a taste of stewardship, they often want to stay involved.”
That’s a good thing, as WRV will be focusing on long-term restoration in 2015 and 2016, hopefully with the help of thousands of volunteers (currently, WRV comprises some 3,000 volunteers, including hundreds of trained volunteer leaders).
“When we scheduled a cleanup in Lyons on the Saturday after Thanksgiving last year, I didn’t think many people would show up, but we had a huge turnout. Our work continued this year with a project at Eldorado State Park – not only fixing trails, but hazards, too. And we’ll be helping the City of Longmont repair a greenway that was washed away.”
WRV will also return to Coal Creek in Lafayette to do a restoration project. “First, we cleaned up the debris. Now, we’re working on trail repair and restoration,” said Self.
Additionally, WRV became deeply involved with coaltion-building to address the Big Thompson Watershed – the hardest hit watershed during the flood. “We spearheaded this effort among multiple agencies and wrote a large grant,” Self continued. “This fall, we’ll release a plan that identifies the problems, priorities and recommended solutions for this river to run properly – from having a stable water supply and preventing future flooding, to addressing all the various needs that communities have along a river.”
WRV has been supervising consultants to complete the plan, which will have “the legitimacy of lots of public input, and input from all of the key stakeholders involved.” Said Self, “This document will represent the best ideas and analysis that our community has come up with, and will also be used as a tool for getting government support and foundation funding.” As well, WRV is participating in the planning process for the St. Vrain Watershed.
“To address watershed issues and make our watersheds as healthy and flood-free as possible, the coalition of nonprofits who are involved will likely be established as an entity for the longer term,” explained Self. “Things are morphing into a model that will ensure our watersheds are going to be in good shape for the future.”
“We’ll still learning,” he concluded. “Crises like the flood or the High Park Fire – because they’re so visible and have such a broad impact on our communities – require a spike in capacity. For us, being able to direct volunteers in safe and effective ways was lacking. So WRV is developing a strategic plan for our role in disaster response, beyond our regular work around stewardship. We need to find the right balance between better absorbing unexpected shocks and not losing sight of our main purpose.”
