No fire starts, reports of illegal fireworks or abandoned or illegal campfires on three of the five districts during the Fourth of July weekend on the Santa Fe National Forest. Photo by Michele Davis

SFNF News:

…Popular Forest Road 10 Reopens

SANTA FE – The Fourth of July weekend on the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) was unexceptional in the best definition of the word:

• No fire starts;
• No reports of illegal fireworks; and
• No abandoned or illegal campfires on three of the five districts.

Patrols did find 21 illegal and/or abandoned campfires on the Jemez Ranger District, and another three on the Coyote Ranger District. But none of those campfires escaped and became a larger problem for firefighters to contend with.

“We want to thank all the visitors who spent their Fourth of July on the national forest recreating responsibly and taking good care of their public lands,” Acting Forest Supervisor Debbie Cress said. “Most of our campgrounds were full, and the Jemez District had by far the largest number of visitors. But for the most part, we saw good compliance with Stage 2 fire restrictions across the forest.”

Although it may be too early to tell whether the monsoon season has officially arrived, much of the SFNF did see some moisture over the weekend, which helped lower the immediate fire danger. However, a drying trend beginning Wednesday and continuing into next week combined with above-normal temperatures will have fire managers watching conditions closely.

Visitors to the Jemez Ranger District will also be glad to know that the district today lifted the closure order that had closed an 11-mile segment of Forest Road (FR) 10 to replace 24 culverts. Although FR 10 is open, visitors should be prepared for delays as road crews continue resurfacing the road from the intersection of FR 270 south to the Paliza Family Campground. That work is expected to continue for another two months.

“We know how many people use Forest Road 10, especially during the summer months. We are happy to be able to open the road to traffic earlier than we had originally anticipated, and we appreciate your patience with the ongoing roadwork,” Jemez District Ranger Brian Riley said.

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