A Word of Thanks to Benefit the Big Thompson

Big Thompson Watershed Coalition (BTWC) is honored to be featured in Kyle Clark’s Word of Thanks microgiving campaign, beginning July 27. Gifts of any size—including just $5—will help protect and restore the Big Thompson watershed and strengthen the Northern Colorado communities that depend on it.

The Big Thompson watershed is a gateway to the Rockies and Rocky Mountain National Park, which welcomes more than four million visits each year. Its rivers, forests, and communities support clean water, wildlife habitat, recreation, local livelihoods, and the scenic landscapes that make Northern Colorado so special.

These resources face recurring threats from wildfire, flooding, erosion, and other natural hazards. Because the watershed is interconnected, damage in the mountains can affect water quality, infrastructure, habitat, and communities far downstream.

Investing in prevention and resilience now can reduce future damage, protect lives and infrastructure, and make recovery less costly. National research has found that hazard-mitigation investments save an average of $6 in future losses for every $1 spent. 

The Big Thompson Watershed Coalition works across public and private lands to reduce risks, restore landscapes, and help communities prepare for what comes next.

We reduce wildfire risk by working with landowners, communities, fire districts, and public agencies to improve forest health, manage vegetation, and decrease the potential intensity and impacts of future fires.

We help landscapes and communities recover after floods and wildfires, addressing both immediate and long-term needs. BTWC formed in response to the devastating 2013 floods and helped restore river corridors, stabilize streambanks, reconnect floodplains, and strengthen the watershed’s resilience to future flooding. Following the Cameron Peak and Alexander Mountain fires, we have worked with communities and partners to restore damaged streams, reforest burned areas, stabilize hillslopes, reduce erosion and runoff, and identify recovery priorities that protect water quality, infrastructure, habitat, and downstream communities.

We help communities understand and care for the places they depend on through educational events, landowner resources, volunteer projects, and opportunities to learn about forests, rivers, wildfire preparedness, and watershed health.

This work is already making a difference. Since forming after the 2013 floods, BTWC has secured more than $27 million in grant funding for restoration and resilience projects, restored over 28 miles of river corridor, and partnered with more than 375 private landowners. 

These grants fund many of our on-the-ground projects, but private donations provide the flexibility to act early, develop future projects, and respond when new needs arise. Even a small gift can help BTWC turn local ideas and partnerships into larger restoration and resilience projects.

Your gift is an investment in cleaner water, healthier forests, safer communities, and a more resilient Northern Colorado. Thank you for being part of this statewide community of generosity.

Learn more at: BigThompson.co

Wondering what your donation can support?