COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Christmas may be over, but a volunteer group called “Friends of Cheyenne Mountain State Park” is working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to give Christmas trees a new life as fish habitats in southern Colorado.
“The little fish can get in there and escape from the big fish that are eating them,” said Ralph Cadwallader, 78, a member of the group.
The volunteer group started in 2001 maintaining trails at Cheyenne Mountain State Park, and started its fire mitigation efforts in 2015 removing primarily Gambel oak trees, but also small Douglas fir trees and shrubs to create a more moist environment for the surrounding Ponderosa trees. These efforts slow down the spread of wildfires, giving firefighters a better chance to put out the flames, said Cadwallader…