Courtesy/SFNF
VCNP News:
JEMEZ SPRINGS – The Thompson Ridge Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has received final approval for its emergency stabilization request and recommendations involving burned areas affected by the Thompson Ridge Fire.
“Now that the plan is approved, we can move forward with the treatments suggested by the assessment team,” said John Barksdale, Thompson Ridge BAER implementation team leader. “Once we are staffed with specialists to oversee projects, we will begin implementing those treatments.”
Initial treatments could begin as early as next week. Some examples of projects scheduled to be implemented on the Valles Caldera National Preserve and Santa Fe National Forest land within the burned area of the wildfire include:
- Constructing or improving water control features on roads and trails such as dips and low water crossings;
- hazard tree reduction;
- installing warning signs;
- application of seed for soil stabilization; and
- protection of identified cultural resource sites from flooding.
Among the cultural resource sites identified in the plan are the cabins within the Baca Ranch Historic Headquarters district that were defended by the Granite Mountain Hotshots the night of June 4. The buildings require protection from remaining hazard trees and the possibility of increased flooding
“Hazard tree removal near those buildings and along an impacted portion of FR 105 are the top priorities,” Barksdale said.
BAER interagency cooperators, stakeholders, and tribal government representatives are coordinating their post-fire response efforts. Contact information for the interagency cooperators involved in post-fire response for the Thompson Ridge Fire can be found on InciWeb (http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3430/).
SPECIAL NOTE: Everyone near and downstream from the fire area should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains over the burn scar. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at the National Weather Service, Albuquerque Office (http://www.srh.noaa.gov/abq/) website.
