Three NM national forests to close Thursday due to extreme fire danger
By Kalyn Norwood
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TIJERAS, New Mexico (KOAT) — Starting Thursday, three national forests in New Mexico will close off access to the public, meaning no hiking or biking along most trails.
“Right now with the conditions as dry as they are, all it takes is a spark from an exhaust and you can have another huge fire happen,” said Stefani Spencer, Carson National Forest.
The Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire, which is the largest in state history, and the several others burning in the state, are causing the U.S. Forest Service to take a second look at the public’s access to forests.
“The {Forest Service} decided that because of the extreme fire danger that they would close to public use in order to help try to prevent further accidental fire starts,” Spencer said.
Spencer is with the Carson National Forest, one of three to close starting Thursday due to extreme fire danger. The Carson and Santa Fe national forests in northern New Mexico will see a complete forest closure.
The Cibola National Forest will be partially closed. The closures include anything within Mount Taylor, Mountainair, and Sandia Ranger Districts, including the Sandia Mountains. But, a spokesperson for the Sandia Ranger District said trails in the foothills, like Trail 365, south of the Sandia Tram and outside the wilderness will remain open. This includes the tram at the base, people can also visit the restaurant up top, but cannot leave the deck.
“And the state roads, state highways are still open to travel, so that part of it is still open,” Spencer said. “It’s the forest roads, forest trails, forest campgrounds, any of that kind of stuff.”
The closures were set to last until the end of the year, but the Forest Service changed that. It will now last until July 18. The closures could impact tourism in the state.
“The news was certainly discouraging, to say the least,” said Cody Johnson, New Mexico Tourism Department. “Outdoor recreation is a big part of our identity for a leisure destination.”
Johnson said they’re currently assessing how they can help communities that rely on outdoor recreation.
“The Enchanted Circle, you know all those communities, Red River, Angel Fire, Taos, Eagle’s Nest, you know those are communities that are kind of in the heart of the Carson National Forest up there.”
Daniel Puccini owns Roots Farm Cafe in Tijeras, a small community at the base of the Sandia Mountains. He said they do get some visitors from out of town, but he’s hopeful the locals will keep them from feeling the impact of the closures in the Cibola National Forest.
“We’ve got a real good customer base that actually live in the mountains and so they’ll still be coming out and giving support,” said Puccini.
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