The Academy of Natural Therapy will be featuring photography and explanations of the 2013 Flood Rehabilitation efforts and how they are coming along. Basically what you see when you drive up to Estes Park as well as what you can’t see from the road. This is in part an educational outreach effort to the general public from NRCS, lead agency in Emergency Watershed Protection program, and all the many, many smaller organizations involved in the rehabilitation efforts. It is really important for the public to understand that this is not a restoration or landscaping. We put into place the necessary engineering and plant materials for Nature to heal itself over a number of years. When nature heals itself it is a more natural and authentic process that takes time to grow.
I used the term We because I am a part of the efforts of the lead agency. I also work for NRCS. I have worked for several Fire rehabs and this flood was so damaging, it had unique challenges. Weather and spring run off plays key roles and the past two years have really made gains to plants growing on the reconstructed streambanks, massive amounts of sedimentation has been removed or used as top soil for new plantings, and a lot of new road structures that are better suited to handle any future flood events. I am really looking forward to having people stop in on Friday night and the rest of July to learn more and see sites up close that you can’t see with public access.