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On May 5, 2000, a prescribed fire at Bandelier National Monument escaped prescription and became the Cerro Grande Fire that burned through parts of the monument, the Santa Fe National Forest, Pueblo lands, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the community of Los Alamos, New Mexico. Since then many policies have changed and Bandelier National Monument has revised its fire management program, once again utilizing broadcast prescribed burning to reduce forest fuel overloads and wildland fire risk.
During September 2005, a newsletter was distributed to approximately 8,000 local residents and public meetings were held in Los Alamos and White Rock to present lessons learned following the Cerro Grande Fire and build support for the updated fire management program, including the Upper Frijoles Unit 9 Prescribed Burn. The public, media and congressional staffers toured the burn site to learn more about the planned prescribed fire. Fire management staff also conducted field trips for local school groups, provided briefings for community leaders and hosted a cable television call-in program. Several public information officers were assigned to assist with public outreach activities and a dedicated telephone line for fire information was installed.
A burn plan to guide implementation for a 377-acre prescribed fire in Upper Frijoles Canyon was reviewed by a team of interagency fire managers. The plan requires 49 firefighters on scene for operations and another 47 available for contingency, with assistance and resources provided by several local Pueblos, United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, New Mexico State Division of Forestry, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Los Alamos County.
In preparation for the burn, vegetation was thinned along the perimeter and free firewood collection permits were issued to the public to remove some of the fuel. Water hose lines were also established around the entire site. Bandelier fire management staff intended to implement the plan this past fall, sometime between October and December, when weather conditions and smoke dispersal would permit. However, unusually wet conditions postponed ignition several times and eventually snow received in mid-December caused the burn to be rescheduled. Postponement permitted the reassignment of fire crews to burn 75 acres of slash piles created from earlier thinning operations. Even though the prescribed fire was not completed this year, all the pieces are in place for a successful conclusion of the project in 2006.
Contact: Scott Sticha, Information Officer
Phone: (970) 586-1264 |
