SFNF News:SANTA FE ― Members of the public are invited to the 2018 “all hands” meeting for a comprehensive update on the largest landscape-scale forest restoration project in New Mexico March 29 to March 30 in Santa Fe. Both days are open to the public.
The Southwest Jemez Mountains (SWJM) Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project is a long-term collaborative effort to restore forest ecosystems at the landscape scale and improve resilience to major disturbances, including fire, insects and disease, and climate change. The project covers 210,000 acres in the Jemez Mountains, 110,000 of which are within Santa Fe National Forest boundaries.
The Thursday, March 29 meeting will be at the Santa Fe Community College (SFCC), 600 Richards Ave. in the Jemez Rooms next to the cafeteria. Project managers will update on implementation, including forest thinning, prescribed fire, and riparian and wetland restoration. Scientists and natural resource specialists will address the effects and benefits on watershed hydrology, vegetation and soils, and wildlife. Other topics include monitoring, fire risk modeling, cultural and archaeological resources, and socioeconomic impacts.
The Friday, March 30 meeting is at the Santa Fe National Forest’s Supervisor’s Office at 11 Forest Lane to discuss the proposed 2019 projects in the Jemez Mountains, and acquire feedback and ideas from collaborators.
Both meetings begin at 8:30 a.m. Thursday’s session ends at 5:00 p.m., Friday’s ends at noon. Parking is free, and the college cafeteria will be open for lunch. The campus is ADA-accessible.
Lead partners in the SWJM project include the Santa Fe National Forest, Valles Caldera National Preserve, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest Stewards Guild, New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute, New Mexico Forest Industry Association, Pueblo of Jemez, Wild Earth Guardians and The Nature Conservancy.
The agenda for the public meeting and directions to SFCC are posted on the Santa Fe National Forest website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd537627.pdf
Contact Bob Parmenter, Chief of Science & Resource Stewardship, Valles Caldera National Preserve, 575.829.4850 or Robert_Parmenter@nps.gov; Karl Buermeyer, SWJM Implementation Coordinator, Santa Fe National Forest, 575.829.3535 or kbuermeyer@fs.fed.us.
