New Mexico receives $28 milliion in federal funds for wildfire defense

May 21—State officials are looking to fortify wildfire defenses in some communities bordering forests, including in Northern New Mexico, using $28 million in federal infrastructure money flowing to the state this year.

Most of the grant money, which was announced last week, will pay for a half-dozen large projects to thin forests, clear vegetation, carve out firebreaks and create space between structures and wooded areas, all with the aim of curtailing wildfires. The rest will be used to help five communities develop or update wildfire protection programs that will make them eligible for future funding.

The money comes as New Mexico's increasingly arid climate has heightened wildfire risks, making the forests and the communities near them more vulnerable.

"All of these projects have a focus on underserved communities with high wildfire-risk potential, and they've been affected by severe disaster before," said Abigail Plecki, who coordinates the grants for the state Forestry Division.

This year's federal grants are two and a half times higher than the $11 million the state was awarded last year.

The lion's share of the money will go to three projects.

Cimarron Watershed Alliance received $10 million for Angel Fire, where crews will reduce flammable vegetation and forest debris, known as fuels, and do restoration work on private lands in the village and surrounding areas.

They will create defensible space and fuel breaks while thinning forests and conducing slash-pile burns. The goal is to reduce fire risks, restore forests to "fire-adapted ecosystems" and enable nearby communities to coexist with frequent wildfires.

West Latir Ditch Association received $8.1 million to reduce fuels, improve defensible space and better protect a nearby watershed. Crews also will create firebreaks near El Rito and Latir in northeastern Taos County.

Meanwhile, about $7.1 million will be funneled to the Upper Chama Soil and Water Conservation District to update and expand wildfire protection programs, which are planning efforts to help communities reduce their wildfire risks and better withstand the impacts of a runaway blaze.

The Ruidoso Forestry Department was given $1.2 million to reduce the amount of flammable material within the village. And a conservation and development council received about $784,000 for a Ruidoso midtown project.

The village will be able to get several brush-removal trucks to clear more than 13,000 acres of vegetation over the next 15 years.

Other recipients include San Miguel and Mora counties, which each received $88,000 to update their community wildfire protection plans in the wake of the 2022 Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.

In addition, Colorado received more than $9 million to boost wildfire protection on three watersheds that are a main source of San Juan-Chama water, distributed as a supplemental supply to Santa Fe, Albuquerque, a half-dozen pueblos and Middle Rio Grande Valley irrigators.

This basin faces a serious wildfire risk.

"It just hasn't happened yet on a big scale," State Forester Laura McCarthy said. "Frankly, we need it never to happen."

A forest advocate applauded the state securing the grant money to allay the increasing wildfire threats.

"The program is not described as a climate-change adaptation program, but I believe it is," said Eytan Krasilovsky, deputy director of the Forest Stewards Guild. "It's an important investment in New Mexico communities."

An additional benefit is these projects will boost protections in watersheds near the communities, Krasilovsky said.

The guild helped Angel Fire develop its community wildfire protection plan that helped it get the federal grant money, he said, adding it was rewarding to see.

McCarthy said the state plans to take advantage of the wildfire defense funding, which was established as a five-year federal program. It was designed to allow smaller states like New Mexico more easily compete for grants, and so far it has done so, she said.

"This is an unprecedented opportunity," McCarthy said.