Sean Ludden - FACNM Leader - Cuidad Soil and Water Conservation District

All the uncertainty and unexpected changes of 2020 have forced us, and the ways we interact, to adapt. Sharing information about forest management and wildfire preparedness during covid-19 social distancing guidelines has been no exception. Some of our largest outreach opportunities typically occur at parades, in-person exhibition events, and meetings. Some Fire Adapted Communities New Mexico (FAC NM) leaders have demonstrated resilience in the face of uncertainty by finding new and creative ways to reach community members.

In response to social distancing challenges, FAC NM Leader Sean Ludden with Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District, began thinking creatively about how he could reach members of his community in the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque, NM (East Mountains) about forest and fire management while meeting social distancing guidelines.

Sean is a programs coordinator with Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). As part of a New Mexico Association of Counties and Bureau of Land Management grant for outreach and education about wildfire risk, Sean developed a program where residents of the East Mountains could apply for a free reflective house number to help first responders identify rural addresses. The East Mountains community responded well, and soon Sean had reached over 80 community members motivated to take a step towards wildfire preparedness. The challenge was delivering reflective house numbers to East Mountain community members without person-to-person contact and while still capturing a valuable opportunity to share information about wildfire preparedness.

Sean reached out to FAC NM with a creative idea for a drive-through wildfire preparedness event. The event sounded like a great way for him to pass off the reflective house numbers while providing brief and portable information about home hardening and the statewide FAC network. Sean spent a couple weeks planning, creating informational handouts, and contacting community members. With that planning in place, we were all set for a drive-through event on September 1st and 2nd at the James McGrane Public Safety Complex in Tijeras, New Mexico.

Over the 2-day event, we passed out reflective house numbers and shared information with over 60 community members. Sean told community members about defensible space cost-share programs through the Soil and Water Conservation district at the first stop, I shared home hardening information and asked them to sign up for FAC NM at the second stop, and at the third stop they received their reflective house number. Community members enjoyed the convenient, concise format of the event and we signed over 40 new members to FAC NM in the two days.

This event demonstrates the dedication and commitment of the East Mountains community to reducing wildfire risk. This is thanks to community members themselves as well as regional organizations like Ciudad SWCD and the East Mountains Interagency Fire Protection Association (EMIFPA) that have been building community in this landscape for years. By working in partnership with communities like the East Mountains, FAC NM can continue to develop resources that are well-suited to specific communities while capturing lessons learned about wildfire preparedness across the state.

If you or someone in your community is interested in hosting a virtual or socially distant in-person event, please reach out to FAC NM so that we can think creatively about how we might share wildfire preparedness information with your participants. Thank you to Sean and Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District for this event. For all of us involved in FAC NM, let’s continue to work together on the novel challenges that we are faced with – within and across landscapes.

Mary Jo Wallen - FACNM Leader - Timberlake Ranch

Mary Jo Wallen moved to Moriarty,  New Mexico in 1998 from Indiana.  In 2005 she and her husband built a log home in the Timberlake Ranch, which is 11 miles north of Ramah in the Zuni Mountains.  Mary Jo always loved living in the woods.  She had a log home out in the country south of Indianapolis, Indiana; but the call of the West was always in the back of her mind since she camped and jeeped in Colorado and other western states for over ten years every fall.

Mary Jo has been active in the community by being a Timberlake Board Member for three years, Neighborhood Watch Group Coordinator and prepared Emergency Evacuation procedures along with a Phone Tree about eight years ago.  The development has 743, 5-acre lots with 82 full time residents, 21 part-time and 65 recreational. There are over 38 miles of sideroads.

After the Paradise, CA fires she and four other neighbors formed a Forest Restoration & Wildfire Mitigation Sub-Committee with the approval of the Timberlake Ranch Landowners Association.  Over the first year many goals and activities have materialized.  Major achievements include:

1. Preparation of a Forest Stewardship Plan.

2. Approval and early implementation of three FHI applications.

3. Submission of twelve more FHI applications for consideration this fall.

4. Treatment of approximately 13 miles of side roads with ladder fuel reduction and fuel breaks.

5. Approval of a State Farm Grant for $500 to support a Chipper Day to support the Wildfire Preparedness Day in May.

6. Preparation of a brochure specific to our area.

Mary Jo received and completed an FHI grant for wildfire mitigation on her property a month ago.  Here are a few pictures from the project.

The whole area between the tree and metal building was thinned. Brat (horse) and Kai (dog) checking everything out.

Area after trimming/chipping

Mary Jo and Ron Schali became FAC Leaders a  couple of months ago and are continually promoting the idea of forest health and proper fire mitigation techniques to Timberlake landowners.  Mary Jo has indicated that one of the greatest benefits to being a FAC Leader is the opportunity to network with others.  Learning and sharing with others has always been important to her.  Since humans cause 44% of fires and there are a lot of irresponsible people living or camping in and around the forest, it is even more important to educate the public. Climate change is also a topic of discussion, which more people should pay attention to in order to save our environment.

Ron Schali - FACNM Leader - Timberlake Ranch

Ron Schali has property within Timberlake Ranch, a community of many residents that spans 7,000 acres of remote and rugged land across McKinley and Cibola Counties in the northwest part of New Mexico. The forests and mountains surrounding Timberlake Ranch inspire an appreciation of the natural world that Ron first gained while hiking the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. While exploring, Ron developed a passion for spending time outdoors and learning about forest ecology. He also experienced wildfire in all stages, seeing many burn scars and even active wildfires on numerous occasions. These experiences stuck with Ron,  “if you have seen a wildfire, it is impressive how powerful those things are, it can make you feel pretty powerless when you see a fire going full speed ahead... it’s very scary.”

When he moved to New Mexico 16 years ago, Ron brought his interest in forest and fire ecology with him and became intrigued with the fire adapted forests surrounding Timberlake Ranch and the potential risk they posed to his community. As an Environmental Science teacher Ron was eager to learn more about his new home, and he became connected with community members of the ranch that shared his interest.

About a year ago, Ron and a group of neighbors, including FACNM Leader Mary Jo Wallen, began organizing what would become the Timberlake Fire Mitigation and Forest Health Committee. Ron described that one of the committee’s key goals was "to be educational and get more people involved in thinking about how we could improve their area by making it safer and healthier.” He feels strongly that “anybody who lives in the forest and sees the increase in wildfires and disasters that are happening can see that the time is right to try to encourage the whole community to start thinking about what to do.” Although addressing wildfire mitigation for the whole Timberlake community can be daunting for the committee at times, they have been making incremental progress by setting achievable, short-term goals.

Ron shared the useful insight that, “it’s a big project, you have to break it up to make it palatable for folks not to get overwhelmed. It makes it more likely to happen if you break it into smaller chunks.” This approach seems to be working for the committee, and in the last year they have taken some strong steps toward wildfire mitigation.

Using Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) of nearby counties to document Timberlake’s wildfire risk, the committee was able to present their case to the Timberlake Land Owners Association (TRLA). The Fire Mitigation and Forest Health Committee is now formally recognized  and has an opportunity to speak at each meeting, is included in budget discussions, and has gotten TRLA support for some key projects in their first year, including:

·       Updating their emergency evacuation plans,

·       Updating phone numbers and call lists for community members,

·       Providing educational materials to homeowners,

·       Thinning and reducing ladder fuels around 10 miles of roads, and

·       A forest health plan for 600 acres..

In reflecting on the success of the Timberlake Fire Mitigation and Forest Health Committee, Ron shared some useful advice:

It is critical that you start with the “low-hanging fruit.”

Find projects that already have support and people on board and use those to build momentum toward areas that may be more challenging.

Show off your completed projects as educational tools to get others interested.

At the end of the day, the process of planning mitigation projects will strengthen your community by building connections along the way. Take your time and enjoy the process of getting to know your neighbors through these shared goals.