In this Issue:
Welcome Kristin Todd | NoCoFires Fund update | Foundation Adopts New Hours | Breaking Good News NoCo
Welcome Kristin Todd: President and CEO
We have truly exciting news to share! The Community Foundation of Northern Colorado Board of Trustees announces it has hired Kristin Todd to serve as our new president and chief executive officer. Kristin will officially begin her duties on April 26.
“Kristin’s background and her interests are a perfect fit for the Community Foundation. She is the kind of leader we need as our region becomes more vital to Colorado’s future success. She will be a great addition to the Northern Colorado communities we serve.”
— Mark Driscoll, Board president
Kristin, her husband John, 9-year-old son Charlie, and two dogs are excited to be moving to Northern Colorado in April and become a part of our growing, vibrant community. Son Liam attends WyoTech in Laramie.
NoCoFires Fund update
Fat Tire contributes $100,000 to restore watershed via NoCoFires Fund
New Belgium Brewing’s flagship brand, Fat Tire, understands the need for clean water firsthand; the process to create the U.S.’s first certified carbon neutral beer begins with clean, mountain water that comes from the same watershed affected by last year’s fires. Water quality and consistency are crucial to the production of craft beer, and Fat Tire has a long history of returning water used in its brewing process back into the river cleaner than it was before.
“Water is not only the most important ingredient in beer, it’s the lifeblood of everything we love about Northern Colorado, from our world-class recreation to a nationally recognized economy,” said Katie Wallace, director of social and environmental impact at New Belgium Brewing. “The devastating impacts of fires can last for years as forests grow and the health of the landscape returns.”
Star Squad raises $2,100 for NoCoFires Fund
Shepardson STEM Elementary School Star Squad came up with a list of challenges they saw in the community. A few children were impacted by last summer’s fires, and in the Star Squad’s research, they came across the NoCoFires Fund, and found that they could help “fix the water problems.”
These third, fourth, and fifth graders goal was to raise $250 during February. They decorated 21 milk jugs and held a coin drive, talking about the fundraiser on their morning announcements. This group of budding philanthropists raised a whopping $1,650 and Otter Cares Foundation Project Heart donated $450 for a grand total of $2,100!
The Star Squad presented the Foundation’s CFO Wendy Banks with the funds on March 1! Thank you Shepardson and OtterCares!
NoCoFires fund raises $750,000
The 2020 wildfire season was the worst in Colorado History. Between August and December, over 400,000 acres burned and negatively impacted our region’s headwaters. This year, flooding and erosion will significantly damage the quality, reliability, and infrastructure of the Northern Front Range’s water supply. The Community Foundation launched the NoCoFires Fund to help get our vital rivers and streams back to sustaining wildlife, agriculture, and supplying award-winning drinking water for 1 million people.
Now it’s time to focus on mitigation (do you remember the Poudre River running black from ash after 2012’s High Park Fire?), address the critical needs, and begin long-term recovery work with a coalition of partners.
The cities of Greeley and Fort Collins, Northern Water, Larimer County, local water districts, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the Coalition for the Poudre River watershed, and post-fire experts have been coordinating recovery efforts. They share that sedimentation will fill in and decrease the volume of water reservoirs can store, and in a worse-case scenario, may even render these inoperable.
The time to act is now, while mitigation needs are at their most critical moment and before government dollars arrive, which underscores why NoCoFires fund is so important. Mitigation projects have been identified for a minimum of 6,000 to 10,000 acres at a cost of $20 to $35 million!
“The devastation to our watershed is difficult to comprehend and for most of us the scale can only start to be understood by looking at the anticipated restoration costs in the tens of millions,” shares Ella Fahrlander, Foundation chief engagement officer. “Our goal is to leverage philanthropic resources to maximize dollars available to support this effort.”
To date, the NoCoFires fund has raised approximately $750k, including major donations from the Noel Barrett Shuler Foundation, New Belgium Brewing, and a $250k matching donation from the Bohemian Foundation.
Cameron Peak Fire by the numbers; summary and current needs
Courtesy City of Greeley
Thank you for your support.
