Mat Wijec, right, and Jonathan Bruno, of Coalition for the Upper
South Platte Watershed, spent March 15 cutting down trees killed by
beetles on private land in Woodland Park. Dozens of volunteers from
Help the Needy, Knights of Columbus and the neighbors helped split
the wood to help underprivileged families heat their homes. “This
is a win-win project where we’re dealing with the pine beetles,
bringing the community together to deal with this issue and also
providing wood for people to heat their homes,” Bruno said. “We
hope to provide around five cords.” The project was spearheaded by
the landowner, Nancy Rust who gathered her neighbors to help others
get rid of beetle-kill trees. “That’s what a community needs to
deal with this issue,” Bruno said.
Pat Hill | phill@ccnewspapers.com