Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch and the City of Loveland Water Treatment Plant
Project Description
The Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch is a historic site that currently hosts a working ranch, as well as the Heart-J Center for Experiential Learning, a hands-on learning organization working to engage local youth and community members in history, arts, leadership, agriculture, and environmental conservation. The 2013 flood resulted in loss of the Ranch’s main lodge and several cabins, severe impacts to infrastructure and operations, and significant damage to several county roads at the mouth of the Big Thompson canyon. The purpose of the restoration activities conducted at the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch and the City of Loveland Water Treatment Plant, located just downstream, was to implement several techniques at a small scale, and use the project as a demonstration site to showcase the diverse suite of methods utilized in a project that aimed to address multiple river improvement and flood recovery objectives.Fun Fact
This was BTWC’s first flood recovery project and we remain close partners with Sylvan Dale and the Heart-J Center! David Jessup, one of the Ranch owners, was previously BTWC’s Board President and remains on the Advisory Committee. BTWC also completed a forestry project to reduce wildfire risk and increase forest health on Sylvan Dale lands in the canyon and we continue to look for opportunities to partner with Heart-J Center on educational watershed activities and events!
Project Photos
During Flood
The 2013 flood completely inundated portions of Sylvan Dale Ranch devastating their infrastructure and the river systemSylvan Dale
Project Accomplishments
Project length: 3,300 linear feet
1,150 linear feet of bioengineered streambanks
9 in-stream structures
400 willow and cottonwood live stakes
0.6 acres seeded