Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions and collaborative partners plan to implement a prescribed broadcast burn beginning as soon as October 3rd at the Gulch Basecamp property south of Thoreau and directly adjacent to Bluewater Acres, NM.
Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions is partnering with the Forest Stewards Guild (the Guild), The Ember Alliance, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners Program, The Nature Conservancy, McKinley County, and a diverse group of collaborators to implement a prescribed broadcast burn on up to 120 acres of private land in McKinley County as soon as October 3, 2023. Ignitions are expected to take place over 2 - 3 days with potential smoke impacts lasting approximately 4 days. The burn area will be patrolled from time of ignition until the fire can be declared fully contained to ensure community protection and prevent potential escapes. Exact ignition days will be determined by daily fuel moistures and local weather combined with future forecasts. The burn team is wildland fire-qualified and has many decades-worth of experience. The team will operate within the parameters of a reviewed and approved burn plan, in close coordination with local fire officials, and will have plentiful resources on site to contain and patrol the burn to ensure that it is secured within pre-identified control lines.
The team will actively use emissions reduction techniques to minimize smoke impacts. Potentially affected communities include Thoreau, Bluewater Acres, Bluewater Village, Grants, Prewitt, Milan, San Rafael, Coolidge, and Continental Divide.
Prescribed broadcast burns are part of a long-term process of reintroducing fire that makes Southwestern forests and watersheds more resilient to disturbances. These forests are adapted to fire and require recurrent low to moderate intensity burns to remain healthy. Burning during the cooler and wetter fall season allows land managers to reduce build-up of flammable litter and branches (hazardous fuels) before the next fire season and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires reaching nearby communities. Prescribed burning promotes forest health, safeguards water sources, improves habitat for wildlife, and protects communities by mitigating the potential intensity of future wildfires.
Learn more about Fire Adapted Communities New Mexico at www.facnm.org. More information on smoke, human health, and a HEPA Filter Loan Program can be accessed by visiting https://facnm.org/smoke.
Media representatives, elected officials, and community leaders interested in observing the burn are encouraged to contact Rachel Bean, acting PIO, at rachel@forestguild.org as soon as possible to coordinate.