Santa Fe, NM –Glorieta Camps, The Nature Conservancy’s Rio Grande Water Fund and the Forest Stewards Guild plan to take advantage of favorable conditions, including moisture levels, air quality, wind direction, and weather forecasts, and initiate a prescribed burn at Glorieta Camps, west of Pecos, as early as February 18th, 2020. This burn will be implemented by the All Hands All Lands Burn Team (Burn Team), which is a fully qualified team designed to lead or support prescribed burns across a variety of land jurisdictions in the Water Fund landscapes of Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado. This burn had been planned for March 2019, but was postponed due poor atmospheric ventilation that would have caused unwanted smoke impacts on communities and roads.
Up to 55 acres of piles will be treated with hand ignitions by trained and qualified firefighters working under a burn boss within the parameters of an approved and permitted burn plan. These actions are part of Glorieta Camps long-term and science-based commitment to improve forest health and reduce the risks wildfire poses to communities, forests, and watersheds.
Smoke and flames may be visible due to the proximity of the site to I-25 and Glorieta. Smoke will likely be visible from Pecos, La Cueva, Eldorado, and Santa Fe. Smoke may settle into lower elevations and drainages overnight but should lift by mid-morning, but lingering smoke may be present for up to one week. The Forest Stewards Guild works closely with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) to monitor air quality during and limit the severity of smoke impacts.
This prescribed burn is happening in the context of the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition landscape. The Fireshed Coalition supports a HEPA Filter Loan Program so that smoke sensitive individuals can borrow a filter for the duration of the impacts. More information is here: http://www.santafefireshed.org/hepa-filter-loan-program
· To find out more and stay up to date, visit https://facnm.org/our-projects/all-hands-all-lands-burn-team.
· Learn more about Fire Adapted Communities at www.facnm.org.
Contact:
Eytan Krasilovsky, 505-470-0185, eytan@forestguild.org
The Burn Team is supported by an agreement between The Nature Conservancy and USDA Forest Service.
The Forest Stewards Guild is an equal opportunity provider.###
