By Mary Alice Murphy

Gila National Forest Fire Management Officer Gabriel Holguin presented the forest service weather outlook for the upcoming fire season at the Grant County Commission special meeting on May 23, 2023.

"We are well above average in precipitation for the entire year to date," Holguin reported. "This fire season is very different from last year. We were already seeing significant green up before last weekend's rain. The drought designation was removed, and it is not anticipated to return any time soon. This is atypical when we have this kind of weather. It may lessen the monsoon, or it could extend into fire season. We are at 109 percent of normal from January through May."

He showed graphs that noted the higher March precipitation levels. "The eastern side of the state is not faring as well as we are. The energy component, which indicates the level of fire risk is down to 35, which is significantly lower than average. The moisture of big logs is trending upward, above 10 percent, higher than last year."

Holguin explained a chart from weather stations where the information is put into a formula that comes up with the fuel moisture levels. 10-hour fuel moisture reacts to changes in humidity and moisture. The temperature and precipitation outlook for 6-10 days and 8-14 days show temperatures below normal and precipitation higher than normal, causing a below normal forecast for wildland fire potential.

He noted that Canada is already experiencing a higher than normal fire season for this time of year. "We are already sending people there to help out."

The Gila National Forest has the potential for prescribed and wildland fires to be used for management. "We have two interagency hotshot crews available to fight fires. The tanker base is open, but we moved our large tanker to Colorado. We are bringing smoke jumpers down as soon as fire activity increases. We have 9 engines on the forest and all the lookout towers are open. It's been fairly quiet, so we've been doing prescribed burning. We did one near Pinos Altos and one in the Mimbres. It's a great year to take advantage of prescribed burns. We have units near Reserve and Quemado we would like to treat. We have had lightning fires, with one going on right now near Beaverhead, the Pass Fire (which on the day he reported was at about 800 acres. Today it is more than 29,000 acres.) We're managing it for resource activities and staffing it with a Type 3 team. It's on the edge of the Gila Wilderness. We expect we will have more wildfires. We will have a plan for identifying fire breaks, but we expect good results for resources."

With no questions, the meeting continued with new business.

County Manager Charlene Webb said the next item would consider an emergency water protection project oversight and management position proposal from Steve Kadas, retired from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. "The Grant Soil and Water Conservation District hired him to oversee the ditch repairs project. The proposal is not to exceed $60,000. If you approve it, it will grant me the authority to enter into an agreement with him. This project is for private landowners to make sure their projects are being completely within the scope of work. Hopefully, most of the funding will come from NRCS for technical assistance. There may also be some from the county."

District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards said she appreciated the county for getting this done in a timely and appropriate manner.

The following item addressed the resolution to adopt the fiscal year 2024 preliminary budget for Grant County. "This is the preliminary budget. We will approve the final budget in July," Webb said.

Commissioners approved the resolution to adopt the preliminary budget for FY 24.

The second resolution under consideration would authorize the acceptance of a grant offer from the New Mexico Division of Aviation for funding from ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) and the execution of contract documents for the Airport fuel farm reconstruction.

Airport Manager Rebekah Wenger said the grant of $485,000 would add on to the $2 million already received to fully fund the project. "It is 100 percent state funded, and this gives us a small cushion for changes."

Commissioners approved the grant.

They considered a DWI grant agreement for fiscal year 2024 in the amount of $94,320. DWI Program Coordinator Daniel Graves explained this was the yearly grant the program receives.

District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne asked how it compared to last year's grant.

Graves said last year, the program received $90,000. "With this one, we got exactly what we were asking for."

Commissioners approved the agreement.

In commissioner reports, District 2 Commissioner Eloy Medina thanked Manager Webb for setting up a meeting with Mimbres residents. "It will be an open public meeting, with the manager, the sheriff and the road superintendent attending. It is set for June 21 at the HMS senior center at 11:30 a.m."

District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings said he would like to "clarify anything I said about the recently selected Gila Regional Board of Trustees. I think we have a very qualified and experienced board, who will begin their terms on July 1. I expect a smooth transition. They have, among them, 100s of years of diversified experiences in medicine, banking, insurance and others. I look forward to their governance."

District 1 Commissioner and Chair Chris Ponce said he also got phone calls on the perceptions of some of the public. "We said each of us didn't get everyone we wanted on the board. The perception was that we didn't get a board we wanted. That's not the case. I didn't get everyone I wanted, but it doesn't mean the ones chosen are noy qualified. We didn't just settle on this group. They are very qualified and experienced."

Browne had no commissioner comments, nor did Edwards.

The commissioners went into executive session and said they anticipated no action after the session.