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Editor's Note: This is a portion of the Grant County Commission regular meeting held March 17, with details about a planned prescribed burn.
By Mary Alice Murphy
At the monthly regular meeting of the Grant County Commission held Thursday, March 17, 2016, commissioners heard two presentations from Gila National Forest personnel
In the first presentation of the session, Diane Taliaferro, Gila National Forest Silver District Ranger introduced Leo Trujillo and Jesse Searles, who are planning a prescribed burn in the Cameron Creek area during the second or third week of April, conditions allowing.
Searles is the trainee burn boss. "The burn is in the Fort Bayard Game Management area. We are funding the prescribed burn, along with the New Mexico Game and Fish Department to improve wildlife habitat and the watershed."
The plan includes a NEPA process; the burn plan, which goes through technical review; the unit preparation, including preparing the boundaries, protecting archaeological sites and excluding riparian areas; an agreement with Grant County VFDs from Fort Bayard, Tyrone and Whiskey Creek, which will use the fire for training; the closure order to close trails and roads; and public notification.
A first public meeting has been held, and another one was set to take place that evening, a version of which you can read at http://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/27923-community-meeting-regarding-cameron-creek-prescribed-fire-held.
"We will also send out press releases and will have signs," Searles said. "We are registered with the New Mexico Air Quality Board. You will see plenty of smoke. We will put smoke monitors at the Fort Bayard Medical Center and in Mimbres."
"We are excluded to burn if we have north or northeast winds," Searles said. "We want to burn if the winds are from the prevailing directions from the west or southwest.
"We will monitor the results and post photos of before and after," he continued. "We will check the trail system, monitor the archaeological sites and will check fences and repair if needed after the fire."
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