Who We Are
In the 60 years the Flying W Ranch had been serving Chuckwagon dinners to paying guests, there had been minor catastrophes like; rattlesnakes curled up in the biscuit-warming ovens, bears foraging through dumpsters, rains washing out roadways and winds turning family gatherings topsy-turvy.
Those annoyances are now fond remembrances that guests, workers and the owners of the ranch look back on as they now deal with the complete destruction of the historic and iconic ranch. On Tuesday, June 26th 2012 the Waldo Canyon fire roared over a nearby ridge at 60 mph and devoured the tall pines and the historic buildings nestled among them.
Following the destruction of the Flying W Ranch and 346 homes within the neighboring community of Mountain Shadows the Flying W Ranch Foundation was formed.
The Flying W Ranch Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado whose primary focus is to restore and mitigate the Waldo Canyon burn area. This area of the burn is now subject to erosion, mud slides and flooding which threaten Colorado Springs’ municipal water supply and the neighboring community downstream.
Work includes:
- Installing log erosion control structures to stabilize hill slopes and drainages prone to flood events
- Planting seed and spreading mulch over various acres of burned terrain
- Planting saplings to jumpstart the restoration of the forest
- Removing noxious weeds
With the help of other non-profit organizations, government agencies and countless volunteers the FWRF hopes to bring the natural beauty back to the hill slopes of Colorado Springs, educate members of our community as well as insure safe drinking water for all our residents.