The story of Reservoir Hill is as inspirational as it is impactful. Just behind Pagosa Springs lies this community resource befit with trails and an immaculate frisbee golf course. However, it wasn’t always the case. Like many ponderosa pine forests, Reservoir Hill was densely packed with trees, having not experienced fire or other disturbances since 1917 when it was logged.
That dense forest called the attention of San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership (SJHFHP), one of the collaboratives that makes up the 2-3-2, who hoped that some forest restoration work could be done. With the help and advocacy of local teacher Josh Kurz’s high school students and community support, the Town of Pagosa agreed to act in 2017 and the rest is history. Now the area has a park-like feel, healthy spacing between trees, and a great story of how the community can enact change.
SJHFHP held a field trip at the site to revisit the legacy of work, the ongoing projects, the influence it had on a regional and national level like the fortuitous visit from Colorado Senator Michael Bennett whose impressions from the project helped lead to the creation of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (of which there are three in the 2-3-2 landscape), and how SJHFHP can promote similar community engagement and wildfire risk mitigation in future. And hey, why not end the day with a BBQ?
