Big news for Twin Lakes! This September, the Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative (ARWC) received $155,000 from the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s (CWCB) Wildfire Ready Watersheds program to help create a Wildfire Ready Action Plan (WRAP) for the Twin Lakes area. This program was launched to help protect Colorado communities from the impacts of wildfires and make sure we’re all better prepared for the future
What’s the Plan?
ARWC is diving right into the project, which is all about understanding the risks that wildfires pose to Twin Lakes and coming up with solid action steps to protect the area. We’ll be working with maps, data, and community input to figure out where the biggest risks are and what we can do to reduce them. This means using advanced geospatial analysis to map out high-risk areas, gathering data on local vegetation, fire history, and topography, and collaborating with the community to understand their concerns and priorities. By combining scientific data with local knowledge, we can create a comprehensive approach that addresses both the environmental and social aspects of wildfire risk. By the end of the process, we’ll have a clear action plan that lays out projects to make Twin Lakes more resilient to wildfires. Most of the study will be done by JW Associates, a team that knows the Twin Lakes watershed really well and has lots of experience making communities wildfire-ready.
Why It Matters
After the Interlaken Fire this past summer, the risk of wildfires has been on everyone’s mind in Lake County and Twin Lakes. Wildfires can have huge effects—not just on the forest, but also on our drinking water, recreational areas, and local infrastructure. Twin Lakes is especially important because it’s a crossroads for so many things: water storage, hydropower, recreation, and a tight-knit local community. Plus, with steep hillsides and dense forests, it’s an area that could face major challenges if another wildfire were to ignite.
Through this project, ARWC will be working with everyone—from local residents to state partners—to understand what’s at risk and how we can protect it. We want to make sure that Twin Lakes can stay strong, safe, and beautiful, even as wildfires become more common. The Wildfire Ready Action Plan will give us a roadmap for taking real steps to protect our community, our environment, and everything we value about living here.
“The Wildfire Ready Action Plan for Twin Lakes is about more than just preparing for the next fire—it’s about safeguarding our community, our water, and our way of life. By working together, we can create a future where both the environment and the people who call this place home can thrive, even in the face of challenges,” says Sam Kaelin, ARWC’s Lake County Watershed Coordinator, “I’m proud to be part of a project that helps protect everything we love about the Arkansas River Basin.”
We’re excited to get started and look forward to sharing our progress with you! Together, we can help make Twin Lakes and the Arkansas River Basin a safer and more resilient place for everyone.