VALLECITO LAKE SLASH DEPOT
Donation protected
Living in the west, we all know the threat that wildfire represents and how it has affected our lives. Here at Vallecito Lake we have been spared a serious threat in 2020, but we watch daily how wildfire is raging up and down the west coast states and also across Colorado, and know that it’s only a matter of time before it touches our lives in this area again.
Eight years ago, we started an effort to raise awareness at Vallecito Lake, CO to help guide residents how to mitigate their properties and prepare for the inevitable day when wildfire would touch this small pristine valley.
This fundraising effort will benefit the residents of Vallecito Lake, Colorado.
As a community we’ve done many good and productive activities through the years, but one that has had great positive visual impact in clearing wildfire fuels throughout the valley and surrounding communities was the purchase and introduction of an “Air Curtain Burner” (ACB), and several “Slash Depot” collection days during summer. This occurred 6 days this summer across from Upper Pine Fire Protection District Station #2 just below the dam. Many of us at the lake have benefitted from this valuable asset which efficiently burns cut and dead branches, brush and other vegetation that would be vulnerable “ladder fuel” and an easy target for the spread of wildfire if left untouched on our properties. This year we were able to add pine needles and cones packaged in large paper bags to the disposition of slash. The ACB burns “clean” which provides significant benefits to our environment and our air quality.
To keep this brief, it costs money to host this effort. The good news is that we are now getting as many as 50 loads per Slash Depot day. While our community has graciously brought volunteers to help unload slash and load some of it into the ACB as loads are coming in, the fuel collected now goes beyond what we can process into the ACB in one day. Sometimes we collect slash on no-burn days, so it has to be processed later. Our costs to operate this come in the following areas.
- $500 per day for:
- The use of the ACB plus fuel and maintenance to run it,
- Backhoe support for unloading large trailers and moving the slash to piles once delivered,
- Additional manpower to toss the slash into the ACB (by hand).
Many of our community customers dropping off slash have generously donated cash during the Slash Depot drop-offs to help offset these costs. Unfortunately, our costs this summer have exceeded donations by about $3,000 due to delayed burning days. Therefore, we have organized this Go Fund Me effort to try to cover the unpaid debt from this summer’s Slash Depot days in 2020. If we cannot cover this cost, we are afraid this valuable activity will no longer be able to be offered to the community and the ACB will go away.
Please consider donating to this valuable and much needed cause. No donation is too small, and 100% of all proceeds will go toward the ACB debt we have without any admin costs. (except for the small fee Go Fund Me charges for its service). No individuals sponsoring this effort will be compensated. Any donations beyond the immediate need of $3,000 will be put toward next year’s Slash Depot Days. We would like to complete this fundraising effort by the end of the calendar year, Dec. 31, 2020. Any donor wanting a charitable donation for tax credit may write a check to Wildfire Adapted Partnership (formerly known as Firewise) and put “Vallecito Slash Depot” in the memo line. That address to mail a check is 701 Camino Del Rio, #306, Durango, CO 81301.
This effort is organized and executed by Marilyn McCord and Steve Walb, long term residents of Vallecito Lake, CO. We sincerely appreciate your contributions no matter how large or how small.
Thank you.
Eight years ago, we started an effort to raise awareness at Vallecito Lake, CO to help guide residents how to mitigate their properties and prepare for the inevitable day when wildfire would touch this small pristine valley.
This fundraising effort will benefit the residents of Vallecito Lake, Colorado.
As a community we’ve done many good and productive activities through the years, but one that has had great positive visual impact in clearing wildfire fuels throughout the valley and surrounding communities was the purchase and introduction of an “Air Curtain Burner” (ACB), and several “Slash Depot” collection days during summer. This occurred 6 days this summer across from Upper Pine Fire Protection District Station #2 just below the dam. Many of us at the lake have benefitted from this valuable asset which efficiently burns cut and dead branches, brush and other vegetation that would be vulnerable “ladder fuel” and an easy target for the spread of wildfire if left untouched on our properties. This year we were able to add pine needles and cones packaged in large paper bags to the disposition of slash. The ACB burns “clean” which provides significant benefits to our environment and our air quality.
To keep this brief, it costs money to host this effort. The good news is that we are now getting as many as 50 loads per Slash Depot day. While our community has graciously brought volunteers to help unload slash and load some of it into the ACB as loads are coming in, the fuel collected now goes beyond what we can process into the ACB in one day. Sometimes we collect slash on no-burn days, so it has to be processed later. Our costs to operate this come in the following areas.
- $500 per day for:
- The use of the ACB plus fuel and maintenance to run it,
- Backhoe support for unloading large trailers and moving the slash to piles once delivered,
- Additional manpower to toss the slash into the ACB (by hand).
Many of our community customers dropping off slash have generously donated cash during the Slash Depot drop-offs to help offset these costs. Unfortunately, our costs this summer have exceeded donations by about $3,000 due to delayed burning days. Therefore, we have organized this Go Fund Me effort to try to cover the unpaid debt from this summer’s Slash Depot days in 2020. If we cannot cover this cost, we are afraid this valuable activity will no longer be able to be offered to the community and the ACB will go away.
Please consider donating to this valuable and much needed cause. No donation is too small, and 100% of all proceeds will go toward the ACB debt we have without any admin costs. (except for the small fee Go Fund Me charges for its service). No individuals sponsoring this effort will be compensated. Any donations beyond the immediate need of $3,000 will be put toward next year’s Slash Depot Days. We would like to complete this fundraising effort by the end of the calendar year, Dec. 31, 2020. Any donor wanting a charitable donation for tax credit may write a check to Wildfire Adapted Partnership (formerly known as Firewise) and put “Vallecito Slash Depot” in the memo line. That address to mail a check is 701 Camino Del Rio, #306, Durango, CO 81301.
This effort is organized and executed by Marilyn McCord and Steve Walb, long term residents of Vallecito Lake, CO. We sincerely appreciate your contributions no matter how large or how small.
Thank you.
Organizer
STEVE WALB
Organizer
Bayfield, CO
