Hi FACNM Members and Leaders,
I hope your holiday season is off to a great start. The New Year will be bringing new ideas and new energy into the coordinator role of the Fire Adapted New Mexico learning network.
I am reaching out with the bittersweet news that I will be leaving the Guild and my role as network coordinator for the Fire Adapted New Mexico learning network in the New Year to pursue my dream to practice Spanish and travel in Central and South America. I am incredibly grateful for last 6 years of work with the Guild and the Fire Adapted New Mexico learning network and I have learned so much from all of you. I will continue to reside in Santa Fe, New Mexico upon my return and I look forward to staying in touch in whatever role I take next in my career path of community forestry and wildfire resilience.
We have been working to make this transition as seamless as possible, and still, I know that it may take some time for the program to get back up to speed after the transition. I thank you all in advance for your patience and commitment to the Fire Adapted New Mexico learning network during this time.
I want to give a special thanks to Rachel Bean for her support of the learning network over the years and all of the ideas and energy that she has contributed to making this effort what it is today. I also want to thank Teresa Rigby and the New Mexico BLM for their continued support of FACNM.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or just to say hello at my personal email address or my phone 509-844-3048.
In the spirit of Wildfire Wednesdays, I share some highlights and successes from my time as a coordinator:
A 66% increase in network members and an 82% increase in newsletter subscribers and affiliates,
12 learning exchanges on a variety of community wildfire resilience topics,
A video about the Fire Adapted New Mexico learning network featuring members,
Over 20 microgrants awarded and completed in partnership with community leaders,
148 Wildfire Wednesday newsletters,
6 years on the planning committee of the NM Wildland Urban Fire Summit,
Countless presentations about community wildfire resilience,
Three years of Wildfire Preparedness is Year-Round monthly press releases, and
Hundreds of friends and colleagues along the way.
It has been a joy to work with you all and I am excited to see the network change and grow with new leadership in the coming years.
Thank you,
Gabe