Volunteers work to restore Tonto National Forest after devastating Wildcat Fire
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Dozens of volunteers came together on Saturday to revitalize part of the Tonto National Forest near Cave Creek.
Last May, the Wildcat Fire ripped through over 14,000 acres in the Cave Creek Ranger District, west of Barlett Lake. In 2024, nearly 200 fires burned in the forest, spanning more than five times the number of acres burned there the year before.
These devastating fires leave burn scars, which could lead to other environmental problems. Sometimes, the scorched soil along the burn scars can even dump toxic ash into your drinking water.
To prevent that, dozens of volunteers came together to revitalize the area west of Bartlett Lake that the Wildcat Fire devastated.
“A lot of people are like, ‘We don’t care if it’s burned,' but it’s important for the environment,” said Michelle Ramos, who works with the nonprofit Tread Lightly!
The flames wiped out most of the vegetation, and this area has been closed to the public ever since.
“When you don’t have the vegetation to hold it together you’ll get big erosion areas that ruin the trails and can actually be dangerous down stream,” said Rich Smith of Tonto Recreation Alliance (TRĀL).
The two nonprofits, Tread Lightly! and TRĀL, teamed up with the Tonto National Forest to plant and water 100 native trees and several bags of seeds on three and a half acres that were damaged in the Wildcat Fire.
“We need to give Mother Nature a chance to heal before we get back in and get active in these areas,” said Ramos.
Kelly Mott Lacroix with the Tonto National Forest says this now barren land is a drainage basin that channels water directly into the river that feeds Phoenix’s water supply.
“By doing this sort of work, we are protecting our water supply. We’re making sure that our water is abundant, clean, and less expensive than it would be if it gets very polluted,” said Lacroix. “We all benefit from this.”
This restoration effort also provides food for wildlife and beautifies our community.
“We want this area to be accessible for us now for our generation to enjoy and for future generations to come,” said Ramos.
Saturday was the first of many rehab projects planned in the Tonto National Forest.
If you’d like to help, you can contact the participating organizations via social media.
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