By accident of geography and history, the Zuni Mountains Region has a history of botanical and zoological study that must be the envy of every other inland location in western North America.

Please join us on January 15, 2026, at 8pm MT for Southwestern Ornithological History, Climate Change, and the Birds of the Zuni Mountains of New Mexico presented by John Trochet, M.D. John has integrated a lifetime of natural history findings with those of others from the mid-19th century to the present in an attempt to understand the changes in the regional avifauna of the Zuni Mountains.

The meeting will be held in-person at Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael, CA, and online via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82751344995?pwd=vxkpVmQbI1Tdaaaw9k6rRjKmyQDNWe.1. The password for the meeting is 683702.

Please join River Source and the New Mexico Environment Department to provide input on the draft Action Plan for the Bluewater Wetlands! The Bluewater Wetlands sit at the headwaters of Bluewater Creek providing a critical water supply for Grants, Acoma Pueblo, Laguna Pueblo, and other communities.

If you are unable to attend in person, you can attend virtually at: https://shorturl.at/n4JPc

Please join us on Thursday, July 17th from 9:00 - 4:00 for a field tour highlighting forest and fire restoration, forest products utilization, recreation, and multiple land uses across the greater Zuni Mountains landscape. Led by the Forest Stewards Guild, US Forest Service, and allied Natural Resources professionals, this Collaborative Field Tour will highlight the all-lands nature and multiple benefits of Collaborative projects and provide an opportunity to view and discuss projects. Stops will include:

1. A visit to Ramah Navajo community wood bank (which has received assistance and loads of logs for processing and distribution to community members through the Wood for Life program and Wood Utilization and Community Fuelwood working group),

2. Discussion on recreation and land use at the newly finished Quartz Hill Trailhead, and

3. A stop at the site of the 2025 Cinder Cone Fire to talk about how wildfires interact with fuel breaks, both natural and those created through forest thinning and prescribed burning.

The tour will begin and end at the open parking area behind the McDonalds at the west end of Grants (1628 W Santa Fe Ave). Carpooling is highly encouraged - reach out to Mateo Pomilia (mateo@forestguild.org) for assistance with transportation. Please bring appropriate footwear, clothing layers, rain gear, and plenty of water. Coffee, refreshments, and a lunch of corn and mutton stew and fry bread will be provided - if you have dietary restrictions, please bring your own packed lunch.

Please register below if you plan to attend!

This webinar from the Fire Adapted New Mexico Learning Network will show that reducing the wildfire risk around a home doesn’t have to mean removing all vegetation. With the right landscaping strategies, New Mexico residents can help protect their homes while still enjoying beautiful outdoor spaces. In this webinar hosted by FACNM, Angela Prada from New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service will explore:

• Key traits of fire-resistant plants and recommended species for NM,

• Strategic planting tips—like proper spacing and reducing density of flammable vegetation,

• Year-round maintenance practices to reduce wildfire risk

When: Thursday, May 22nd from 12:00-1:00pm
Where: Zoom, registration is required and the recording will be available following the webinar
Speaker: Angela Prada of NMSU Cooperative Extension Service

Please join us for a hybrid in-person/virtual meeting of the Zuni Mountains Collaborative! This is our annual gathering to reconnect and discuss our shared efforts in the landscape.

If you plan to join us in-person, please register (link below) so that we can accurately plan for meals. This meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 6 from 10:00am-3:00pm and will include presentations and updates from the Forest Service, Forest Stewards Guild, and many other collaborative partners. Morning refreshments and lunch will be provided. We hope to see you there!

Location: Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Auditorium - 22 Capital Rd, Laguna, NM 87026 (or virtually using the link below)

Meeting agenda

Register: https://forms.gle/Eo1gukGNhAXj4zQX6

Join virtuallyː https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87296588540?pwd=sZozirpT3Z7ADLLlpbtWe8E8BXuQHs.1

The presentation in a nutshell

Presenters from the Southwest Jemez Mountains CFLRP will offer lessons gleaned from 15 years of cooperative work about the impact of managed and prescribed fire, forest thinning, and a collaborative approach to land management on landscape resiliency.

This work represents a wealth of knowledge and improvements made over the lifespan of an early adoptee of the CFLRP model. However, CFLRP implementation elsewhere across the U.S. is still ongoing, and that means there is an opportunity to expand the conversation about lessons that can be learned and applied on other landscapes. We invite all participants to connect with colleagues and collaborators to pursue and create occasions for knowledge exchange. 

Full description and presenter information

Multi-party monitoring is a central feature of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) and allows communities to assess the ecological, social, and economic impacts of these landscape-scale stewardship projects over a long period. The Southwest Jemez Mountains (SWJM) CFLRP, implemented from 2010-2024 in north-central New Mexico, was led by 40 agencies, organizations, Tribal entities or representatives, universities, contractors, and citizen volunteers. The goal of the SWJM project was the large-scale restoration of forest ecosystems and improvement of overall resilience to major disturbances, including fire, insects and disease, and a changing climate. 

In this presentation, key Collaborative members Jeremy Marshall, Bob Parmenter, Steven Del Favero, and Gabe Kohler will present their lessons learned from 15 years of cooperative work and multi-party monitoring. They will discuss whether the goals of the CFLRP were met, focusing on the impacts of multi-decadal managed and prescribed fire, forest thinning, and the monitoring and computer modeling showing that forest resilience and restoration treatments ultimately reduced fire risk or severity in the treatment area. This presentation offers insight for land managers currently involved in landscape-scale restoration and wildfire risk reduction and is based on the SWJM CFLRP Final Monitoring Report, expected to be released in the spring of 2025.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 12:00 PM Mountain Time
WHERE: Zoom (learn more and register)
WHO: Hosted by the Southwest Fire Science Consortium and the Forest Stewards Guild

Please join the Forest Stewards Guild on October 9th for a fuel and firewood community work day!

This work day is an opportunity to join your neighbors and greater community in learning about chainsaw safety and putting it into practice by cutting, loading, and taking home firewood or fuelwood from designated community fuelwood decks in the Monighan Canyon area of the Zuni Mountains. Community wood bank organizers and volunteers and members of the ZMC Wood Utilization and Community Fuelwood working group are encouraged to attend. This event is open to the public and light refreshments will be provided.

When: 10:00am - 5:00pm, Wednesday, October 9th
Where: Meet at the Ft. Wingate U.S. Post Office, 286B NM-400, Fort Wingate, NM 87316
What: Community Work Day for fuelwood and firewood processing and collection!
Who: The day will be led and supported by staff from the Forest Stewards Guild

To attend, please meet at the U.S. Post Office in Ft. Wingate no later than 10am. Email Juan Lemos, Fuelwood Coordinator, at juan@forestguild.org with your name and number of people in your party if you plan to attend. Fuelwood permits will be available for purchase from the Ft. Wingate U.S. Forest Service Station en route to the work area and mileage stipends are available to cover the cost of travel.

Please join us on Wednesday, June 5th from 9am-5pm for a field tour highlighting Zuni Mountains CFLRP restoration work, both completed and planned. Led by the Forest Stewards Guild and USFS staff members from the Mt. Taylor Ranger District, this collaborative site visit will provide an opportunity to view and discuss projects across the landscape, including:

1. A visit to Cottonwood Gulch Basecamp south of Thoreau, nm, where we will discuss effects of and need for the reintroduction of low-severity fire in a Ponderosa pine ecosystem, collaborative burning, and what it takes to implement prescribed fire on private land adjacent to the National Forest.

2. Illegal UTV use and wild horse impacts to range and recreational resources.

3. Identifying, mapping, and planning for treatment of invasive non-native plants, with a focus on riparian zones and recently treated project areas.

4. Watershed Restoration Action Planning (WRAP) along middle Bluewater Creek

The tour will begin and end at Chaco Travel Center in Milan, NM; 7-passenger vans may be provided by the USFS for carpooling. Please bring appropriate footwear, clothing layers, a packed lunch, and plenty of water. Refreshments and coffee will be provided.

Please register below if you plan to attend!

What: Field tour of current and planned restoration work in the Zuni Mountains CFLRP landscape.
When: Wednesday, June 5.
Where: Meet at Chaco Travel Center (1500 Willow Dr, Milan, NM 87021) at 9:00am.
Who: Open to all ZMC partners, members, supporters, and the public. Led by the Forest Stewards Guild and US Forest Service.

Please join us for our annual Collaborative community meeting!

We use this time for Zuni Mountains Collaborative partners, U.S. Forest Service, and landscape residents to provide updates on ongoing and upcoming forest and riparian restoration and related work in the Zuni Mountains Landscape. There will be breakout sessions in the afternoon whose purpose will be to review the progress of the last year, further develop collaborative opportunities among participants, and discuss room for growth within the Collaborative. Coffee, lunch, and refreshments will be provided.

Please RSVP below if you plan on attending!

What : Annual community meeting of the Zuni Mountains Collaborative
Where : New Mexico State University, Grants campus (1500 3rd Street), Martinez Hall, multipurpose room 7 (alternatively, Zoom).
When : Thursday, April 25th from 10:00am - 2:00pm; coffee social ‘hour’ for in-person attendees from 9:30 - 10:00am.
Who : Facilitated by the Forest Stewards Guild and US Forest Service with guest speakers and breakout groups.

This meeting will have a virtual "listen only" option via Zoom for those unable to make the trip.

Upcoming monitoring opportunity!

The annual Bluewater Lake Christmas Bird Count will take place on 12/16/2023. Participants will meet at Bluewater Outpost (Dairy Queen) in Bluewater Village at 6:30am and should bring warm clothing layers, lunch and snacks, good footwear, a daypack, and optics for the bird count itself. Be prepared for an 8-10 hour field day. The count circle has an altitude range of nearly 3,000’ and a radius of 7.5 miles which extends from near Prewitt to Ojo Redondo and from Bluewater Village to Cottonwood Gulch. For more information, see the announcement from organizer John Trochet, below.

What: Annual Bird Count at Bluewater Lake
When: 6:30am on Saturday, 16 December 2023
Where: Dairy Queen in Bluewater Village, 136 Main St, Bluewater, NM 87005
Who: all established and fledgling ornithologists, interested birders, foresters for the birds, and more!

Do you have experience or interest in evaluating forest condition?

If yes, consider joining us on Wednesday, August 2nd for an ecological monitoring volunteer day! The USFS Mt. Taylor Ranger District, Forest Stewards Guild, and Forest Stewards Youth Corps will be conducting vegetation monitoring in the Puerco project area on the western side of the Zuni Mountains during the first week of August. Our goal is to assess forest health and conditions prior to planned thinning and prescribed burning.

Please register to volunteer by clicking the button below. Guild staff will reach out to all interested individuals with additional details during the last week of July.

What: vegetation monitoring focused on tree density, size, canopy cover, and disease
When: Wednesday, August 2nd, from 10:00 - 4:00
Where: Puerco project area. Meet at Fort Wingate Post Office at 10:00
Notes: Please bring water in a refillable bottle or bladder, hiking shoes, sun protection, one to two meals and snacks, and anything else you need to stay hydrated, happy, and healthy during a full day in the field. Carpooling from Albuquerque and/or Grants may be available depending on participation.

Please also consider bringing your knowledge and curiosity to inform our ecological monitoring planning during the next virtual monitoring subgroup meeting on Wednesday, July 19th at 1:00. Click the button below to join the meeting or click here to read more about the planned discussion.

Please join us for our Summer meeting of the ZMC Monitoring Subgroup!

The monitoring subgroup meets quarterly to discuss ongoing multiparty monitoring efforts, best practices in ecological monitoring, project priorities, and volunteer and partner availability for planned monitoring needs. This group is part of the Zuni Mountains Collaborative and was born out of both national monitoring protocols and the need for transparent and consistent sharing of information across the landscape.

Please join us to discuss long-term forest health monitoring in the Puerco project area (west side) of the Zuni Mountains! We will also be sharing updates amongst attendees and asking for information on any upcoming monitoring opportunities.

What: Zuni Mountains Collaborative Monitoring Subgroup quarterly meeting
When: Wednesday, July 19, 2023, 1:00-2:00pm
Where: Zoom virtual meeting. Click here to join.
Who: any ZMC partners or individuals who are interested in multiparty monitoring.

Please join us on Tuesday, May 30th from 9am-5pm for a field tour highlighting Zuni Mountains CFLRP restoration work, both completed and planned. Led by the Forest Stewards Guild and USFS staff members from the Mt. Taylor Ranger District, this collaborative site visit will provide an opportunity to view and discuss projects across the landscape, including:

1. Region 3 Showcase, a restorative thin and burn project area from the early- to mid-2010s, which informed development of the guiding silvicultural report on how to manage frequent fire conifer forests in the Southwest.

2. The Copperton prescribed burn area, where we will review the effects of and need for the reintroduction of low-severity fire in a Ponderosa pine ecosystem.

3. Shush Kin Fen, a histosol fen where a pipe fence will soon be erected to exclude cattle and repair hydrologic function.

The tour will begin and end at Chaco Travel Center in Milan, NM; 7-passenger vans may be provided for carpooling. Please bring appropriate footwear, clothing layers, a packed lunch, and plenty of water. Snacks and coffee will be provided. A detailed agenda and map is available below.

Please register below if you plan to attend!

What: Field tour of current and planned restoration work in the Zuni Mountains CFLRP landscape.
When: Tuesday, May 30.
Where: Meet at Chaco Travel Center (1500 Willow Dr, Milan, NM 87021) at 9:00am.
Who: Open to all ZMC partners, members, supporters, and the public. Led by the Forest Stewards Guild and US Forest Service.

On May 9th, the Zuni Mountains Collaborative Monitoring Subgroup will meet online to discuss:

• Recently published monitoring results for forest and water health

• Updates from the group - round robin

• Zuni Bluehead Sucker population estimates and habitat condition

Who: Open to all
When: Tuesday, 5/9/23, 11am-12pm
Where: Virtual meeting - Zoom

We look forward to hearing about what you have been up to over the winter and talking about monitoring efforts across the landscape. Please join us!

Individuals from the Forest Stewards Guild, U.S. Forest Service, and a variety of other organizations and affiliations will convene on Tuesday, April 11th for the next annual Zuni Mountains Collaborative community meeting.

The intent of this event is to:

• review recent project work and planning across the landscape,

• revisit potential governance structures for the CFLRP,

• discuss topics of interest in small breakout groups,

• share upcoming events, and

• share a meal with co-collaborators and community members under one roof.

Morning refreshments and lunch will be provided. This gathering will be held at the Future Foundations Family Center in Grants, NM, with a hybrid virtual option for those who cannot attend in person. Please register to attend below or, if you received a calendar invitation, RSVP directly to the organizers.

You may register for the Zoom portion of this hybrid event using the button below or by clicking here.

When: Tuesday, April 11th from 10:00am to 1:00pm
Where: hybrid options
In-person: 551 Washington Ave, Grants, NM 87020
Virtual: Zoom meeting

Share your thoughts! Please fill out this short survey to provide input on the meeting discussion topics.

Please join the Forest Stewards Guild and partners for a virtual community meeting at 6:00pm on Thursday, October 6th to discuss an upcoming broadcast burn in the Zuni Mountains.

Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions, located south of Thoreau, NM, and partners are gearing up to implement a broadcast burn on up to 120 acres of private land in McKinley County this fall season. Ignitions are expected to be conducted over 2 -3 days with potential smoke impacts lasting approximately 4 days. Patrolling of the burn area will continue as needed.

The diverse group of collaborators includes the Forest Stewards Guild, The Ember Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, McKinley County, and more. The burn is supported by the US Fish and Wildlife Partners Program.

Community members must register online to join the zoom meeting between 6:00 and 7:00pm on 6 October. The meeting is expected to last approximately an hour and a half and will give interested parties an opportunity to ask questions and gain clarification.

Read more by clicking on the press release or announcement flyer below. Thank you and we hope to engage with you soon.

Please join the Forest Stewards Guild and partners for an in-person community meeting at 5:00pm on Wednesday, October 5th to discuss an upcoming broadcast burn in the Zuni Mountains.

Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions, located south of Thoreau, NM, and partners are gearing up to implement a broadcast burn on up to 120 acres of private land in McKinley County this fall season. Ignitions are expected to be conducted over 2 -3 days with potential smoke impacts lasting approximately 4 days. Patrolling of the burn area will continue as needed.

The diverse group of collaborators includes the Forest Stewards Guild, The Ember Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, McKinley County, and more. The burn is supported by the US Fish and Wildlife Partners Program.

Community members may join the meeting between 5:00 and 6:30pm on 5 October at Bluewater Acres Station, 11 Cod Rd., Thoreau, NM 87323. The meeting is expected to last approximately an hour and a half and will give interested parties an opportunity to ask questions and gain clarification.

Read more by clicking on the press release or announcement flyer below. Thank you and we hope to engage with you soon.

Reconnecting and Looking Forward

We invite you to join us!

With a global pandemic having prevented in-person gatherings for the past two years, the Zuni Mountains Collaborative is looking forward to having partners and collaborators reconnect over coffee and refreshments, conversation of shared goals for the landscape, and lunch on June 29!

Please join us as we to look back (at all that has happened since our last in-person partner meeting), recognize the current moment (of recent funding news and the infrastructure bill), and look forward (to future project implementation, employment needs, and collaborative opportunities). This meeting will include short updates from project partners and breakout group discussions to establish shared visions for ecological monitoring, funding, and short- and long-term goals.

Coffee social – 9:00-9:30am
Meeting – 9:30am-12:45pm
Lunch (provided) – 12:45-1:30pm

This event will take place in the

Cibola County Community Room
515 W. High St.
Grants, NM 87020.

RSVP below and save the date!

Please RSVP!

You’re invited to join the Forest Stewards Guild as a prescribed burn observer!

UPDATE: due to unfavorable weather conditions, this burn has been postponed until the autumn. Thank you to all of those who expressed interest in joining us, and please keep an eye on the FAC NM events webpage for future burn observer opportunities!

Join us for a guided field tour of a prescribed broadcast burn and restoration work being carried out on private-owned land within the Zuni Mountains landscape. Forestry and fire practitioners will respond to your questions and share information about how the burn is being implemented, what we hope to accomplish, and the implications for resilience in the forested landscape. You may access a news release with additional details on the burn here.

If you have an interest in forest health, wildfire risk mitigation, ongoing restoration efforts, or are curious about what goes into a prescribed burn but lack the necessary fire training to be involved first-hand, please consider attending! Observers will be escorted on the burn by qualified personnel. Members of the public are welcome and encouraged to register below.

DATE: tentatively March 30th or 31st (weather-dependent and subject to change)

SAFETY: Participants will be provided with appropriate personal protective equipment to safely visit the burn site.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST

Curious about what it takes to implement a prescribed fire?

Join Fire Adapted Communities (FAC NM) and the Forest Stewards Guild as they host a Volunteer Burn Preparation work day!

Join the Forest Stewards Guild!
Basic Firefighter Training (S-130) offered at Cottonwood Gulch Basecamp

The Forest Stewards Guild, in cooperation with Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions, is offering the required field-component of S-130, Basic Firefighter Training. The intent of S-130 is to train new firefighters in basic firefighting skills. The field component may be arduous in nature and capacity will be capped at the first fifteen (15) registrants.

Participants will need to complete 25+ hours of online coursework prior to the event.

S-130 is part of the suite of classes required for basic wildland firefighters. The classroom portion of S-130, as well as all other classes required for basic wildland firefighter training, are available online. S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior is a prerequisite and must be successfully completed prior to taking S-130.

S-130 Firefighter Training (Field Course)

This course is hands on training providing entry-level firefighting skills. Students will be taken to the field for a day of instruction covering:

• safety orientation

• firefighter preparedness

• tools and equipment

• firing devices

• use of water

• suppression

• securing the control line

• operating safely.

Registration is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Sam Berry at sam@forestguild.org or visit facnm.org/events