KREX, October 28, 2025 — The first phase of a wildfire mitigation and habitat enhancement initiative led by Colorado West Land Trust (CWLT) on a conserved property in Plateau Valley has been completed.

Completed in partnership with the Western Colorado Conservation Corps (WCCC), the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) and Ute Water, the project aims to protect people, infrastructure and natural resources.

The project will establish a 300-foot-wide firebreak and use a mosaic approach to clear certain clusters of vegetation while leaving others intact. It will mitigate risks to infrastructure such as water pipes, the Vega Reservoir canal, the Molina Power Plant, and the Cottonwood Creek watershed, which supplies water to residents in unincorporated Mesa County and areas of Grand Junction.

“The firebreak runs right along the hydroelectric dam penstocks that run through our property, generating electricity for the community,” said Brad Baldwin, the landowner of the conserved property. “When cedar trees ignite, they explode and spread fire quickly from treetop to treetop,” Baldwin said. “The mosaic pattern cools the fire down and gives crews time to get in and do their work.”

In addition to fire protection, the project will benefit wildlife and watershed health by creating travel corridors for big game, increasing herbaceous forage and reducing soil erosion.

“Wildlife depends on these lands, and after a fire, erosion can fill in wetlands, wipe out roads and cause long-term damage. This project protects the land in so many ways,” Baldwin said.

The Baldwin Property project is scheduled for phased implementation, which includes treating approximately 25 acres annually, and is estimated to be completed by June 2028. The project is supported by grants from the Colorado Youth Corps Association and Great Outdoors Colorado.

“Working together with partners like the Colorado State Forest Service and the Western Colorado Conservation Corps allows us to tackle large-scale, wildfire mitigation projects,” said CWLT Conservation Manager David Varner. “Our role is to help landowners like Brad [Baldwin] take pragmatic steps that protect their property, safeguard critical infrastructure, and benefit the broader community. These partnerships make it possible to create more resilient landscapes across the region.”

“Private lands like those in Plateau Valley are vital to our collective wildfire resilience,” said Hallie Flynn with CSFS. “In areas where public and private lands are closely connected, proactive mitigation on private property helps reduce risk across the entire landscape. While our work supports overall forest and watershed health, the most effective actions to prevent home loss start within the Home Ignition Zone. As a stewardship agency, the CSFS is focused on helping landowners take practical measures to protect what matters, now and for future generations.”

After he purchased the property in 2000, Baldwin began a decades-long commitment to preserving it for future generations. In 2008, he put the property under a conservation easement with CWLT. “I couldn’t let it be divided up into 35-acre lots,” Baldwin said. “It needed to stay the way it’s been for hundreds of years.”

“This is a win-win situation,” Baldwin said, referring to the project and his experience. “Landowners get healthier property and protection for their homes, and the broader community, including agencies like the BLM and Forest Service, benefits from reduced wildfire risk. We’re sharing the cost and the responsibility and everyone comes out ahead.”

CWLT’s Resilience-building Program dedicates itself to promoting projects on lands protected by its conservation easements. To learn more about the nonprofit organization and its work, visit cowestlandtrust.org.

By Breana Sinclair, see full KREX article here.

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