Rainbow Hill

Protecting Rainbow Hill, Together

News & Events

COMMUNITY MEETING


When: October 25 @ 10am
Where: Foothills Fire & Rescue Building

Kelby Woodard & Eric Isenhart will provide an overview of this project, their roles, and answer community questions.

Kelby Woodard
Forest & Mitigation Program Manager
Clear Creek Watershed & Forest Health Partnership
Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc

Eric Isenhart
Watershed Coordinator
Clear Creek Watershed & Forest Health Partnership
Loan Committee Coordinator
Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc
 
Can't attend in person - Join us via Zoom!
Emergency Access

Emergency Access

Source: Foothills Fire Protection District, C0 - Community Wildfire Protection Plan, December 2020

Rainbow Hill faces serious evacuation challenges in the event of a wildfire. The terrain is steep and complex, with homes positioned above slopes that could channel fast-moving, intense fires. Access is limited to dead-end roads, with Rainbow Hill Road as the only way in and out of the neighborhood. While paved roads are in generally good condition, many sections are narrow, with dense vegetation growing right up to the roadside, creating additional fire hazards. Private roads and driveways present further concerns: most are dirt, narrow, and surrounded by heavy vegetation, making them difficult to navigate during an emergency. Turnaround space is extremely limited—only one reliable paved turnaround exists at the far end of Rainbow Hill Road.

The CWPP emphasizes that evacuation planning is critical for life safety. It recommends:
  • A vegetation management plan for all public and private access roads.
  • A formal evacuation plan to guide residents and visitors during a wildfire.
  • Regular public education and plan reviews to ensure residents know evacuation routes and procedures.
  • Improved reflective street and address markers so that emergency responders—especially those unfamiliar with the area—can quickly locate homes during a crisis.

Without these measures, Rainbow Hill’s evacuation risks remain dangerously high.
Forest Health

Forest Health

Our forest is not as healthy as it looks. Years of fire suppression have left Rainbow Hill’s forest overly dense, which increases the risk of severe wildfires, insect outbreaks, and disease. This doesn’t just threaten our homes—it also threatens the very wildlife habitat many of us value.

Healthy forests are diverse forests. When managed properly, forest restoration creates a mosaic of tree densities and ages, along with more openings, richer understory vegetation, and downed woody material. These conditions provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds for a wide variety of wildlife, from birds to mammals. Far from harming habitat, restoration actually improves it by increasing resilience and supporting more species across the landscape.

By addressing overgrowth and creating defensible space, we are not only reducing wildfire risk—we’re also building a healthier, more balanced ecosystem. This means stronger wildlife populations, reduced spread of pests like pine beetles, and a forest that can better withstand future disturbances.

For more on how restoration supports both forest and wildlife health, see:
Homeowners Insurance

Homeowner Insurance

Wildfire risk isn’t just a safety issue—it’s also affecting our ability to protect our homes financially. Many Rainbow Hill residents have already been dropped by major insurance carriers such as Travelers, State Farm, and Farmers, or faced steep premium hikes. In some cases, the only option left is the Colorado FAIR Plan, which caps coverage at $750,000 and leaves homeowners underinsured. Without reliable coverage, even selling a home becomes nearly impossible.

The good news: if Rainbow Hill comes together to implement the recommendations in the upcoming fire mitigation proposal, including defensible space, shaded fuel breaks, improved water supply, and vegetation management, we can demonstrate measurable risk reduction. With a coordinated plan in place, we can engage directly with major insurance providers to make the case for returning to our community.

The benefits of this approach include:
  • Restored insurance options from carriers like State Farm, Travelers, and Farmers.
  • More competitive premiums for existing policies as risk ratings improve.
  • Increased property values by making homes both safer and insurable.
  • Community-wide resilience, with individual households no longer bearing the full financial burden of mitigation.

By acting together, Rainbow Hill can change the narrative—from being labeled “uninsurable” to being recognized as a community that took bold, proactive steps to protect lives, homes, and forest health.
Pine Beetle

Pine Beetles

The pine beetle outbreak has taken a heavy toll on Rainbow Hill, leaving thousands of dead or weakened trees. Many residents have already spent significant time and money trying to control the damage, only to watch new infestations appear. On an individual level, this fight is unsustainable—and the state has made it clear: they will not move forward with pine beetle initiatives because the problem extends far beyond our community.

But here’s the good news: the same actions we need to take to reduce wildfire risk are also the most effective way to combat pine beetles. By thinning our overly dense forest, creating defensible space, and improving overall forest health, we make it harder for beetle infestations to spread. A healthier forest means stronger trees, greater resilience, and fewer opportunities for pests to devastate our land.

In short, while the state won’t support a pine beetle–only plan, they will support a fire mitigation plan—and in the process, we position ourselves to win the pine beetle fight as well.
SPLAT Verb Verbenone by ISCA Technologies
SPLAT Verb is an environmentally friendly repellent that provides sustained and controlled release of the verbenone anti-aggregation pheromone. Verbenone is naturally produced by MPB and by several other species of bark beetle towards the end of a mass attack. The presence of verbenone signals new MPB approaching the infested tree that it is already too overcrowded to serve as a suitable host.
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