As communities begin rebuilding and gathering funds to help victims of Colorado’s wildfires on the Eastern Plains, AT&T and the Colorado Farm Bureau Foundation have launched a text-to-give campaign to help spread the word.  Residents of Logan and Phillips counties recently experienced destructive wildfires on the Eastern Plains destroying over 32,000 acres of land, homes and structures, over 500 miles of fence and hundreds of cattle.   

Those wishing to support recovery efforts for the Northeast Colorado wildfire and future rural disasters can text WILDFIRE to 27722 make a $10 donation*.

“We appreciate AT&T and MGive’s efforts to help us recover from this disaster. Rural Colorado is lucky to have such committed partners in its time of need,” said Colorado Farm Bureau President, Don Shawcroft, a rancher from Conejos county.

The fire primarily burned sensitive sand hills rangeland which will take at least two years to regrow, leaving livestock producers without a source of pasture for at least that long. That means ranchers must purchase hay or rent pasture elsewhere, which is not a planned expense. It also presents a difficult conservation problem as the rangeland soil is sandy and highly erodible. Producers will also have to bear the additional cost of mitigating soil erosion issues to get their pasture to regrow. 

The destruction from this fire includes: 32,535 acres burned, 200+ head of livestock lost, four homes lost and damage or destruction of dozens of outbuildings.  500 miles of fence were also lost in the blaze.

“While we can never truly replace what is lost, we at AT&T Colorado are working to help this community move forward and rebuild.  Coloradans come through for each other in times of need. And with your help, this time will be no different,” said Roberta Robinette, President, AT&T Colorado. "We hope the community will take part in this important fundraising effort.”

Donations to the Colorado Farm Bureau Disaster Relief Fund provide direct monetary support to farmers and ranchers impacted by natural disasters.