Volunteers from MillerCoors, Wildlands Restoration volunteers and Trout Unlimited repaired the riparian area of the West Fork Clear Creek.

More than 60 volunteers from MillerCoors, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, and Trout Unlimited spent Saturday, August 23 working at the Friends of the Forest Day in West Fork Clear Creek on the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest. MillerCoors donated $27,500 to the project – sponsored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the National Forest Foundation (NFF), and the U.S. Forest Service.

Reclaiming eroding roads, putting logs and rocks in the creek, planting native willows and grasses, and building buck-and-pole fence, volunteers labored to restore West Fork and its riparian area so the threatened greenback cutthroat trout can be re-introduced. Healing streams helps clean the water that flows from our forest headwaters and renew healthy habitats for aquatic life. “We are thrilled to be working with MillerCoors, the Forest Service and so many other partners to seize this unique opportunity to engage the public in caring for their national forests,” said Mary Mitsos, NFF Vice President of Community Conservation. “Restoring watersheds and protecting water supplies in the forest headwaters is a top priority for us.”

The National Forest Foundation works with partner organizations across the country to sponsor Friends of the Forest Days and connect volunteers with important on the ground conservation projects in their national forests. “When we turn on our faucets, we tap into our forests,” said Rick Cables, Regional Forester for the U.S. Forest Service. “Helping the public see this link, and inspiring them to get involved, is vital for sustained supplies of clean water. National forests are the water towers of the West.” “Every drop of water from this watershed flows through Clear Creek,” said Roger Garcia, Banquet Brand Manager at MillerCoors. “We are honored to help care for the forest as the source of water that people in 20 towns and cities use every day. This project shows how partners can make a real difference.” Ed Self, Executive Director of Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, put the event in context. “Project by project, we are seeing how national forests can work with community groups and volunteers to care for the land and its natural resources. We expect to see such work multiply in the future across many vital watersheds as people see their link to their lands.”