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Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 01 August 2021 01 August 2021

Santa Fe, NM – Summer is quickly coming to an end, and students across New Mexico will soon be heading back to school. Many families may be planning one last vacation to our beautiful State Parks, national forests, and other public lands before shifting their focus to school shopping and reading lists. And while it’s a perfect time to make lasting memories around the campfire with the kids, it’s also an opportunity to teach them about wildfire safety.

People cause up to 90% of the wildfires in the U.S. each year. Many of those fires start from unattended fires left to burn at campsites. The Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) Forestry Division, in cooperation with partners, wants to remind residents and visitors to make sure campfires are out cold before leaving. Continuing our “wildfire preparedness is year-round” campaign, our message for August is to turn that last summer vacation into a teaching moment of campfire safety.

While recent moisture has decreased fire danger, most of New Mexico remains in a long-term drought, and we must all continue using extreme caution.

So if you’re planning to camp out for that final summer trip, be sure to bring along the following safety tips to teach the kids while cooking up delicious s’mores around the campfire!

The EMNRD Forestry Division is working with the Forest Stewards Guild, Fire Adapted NM, Cibola, Carson, and Santa Fe National Forests, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management New Mexico State Office to build a 2021 wildfire preparedness calendar and share messages across multiple platforms, including social media, webinars and community events. Bookmark the wildfire preparedness webpage to follow the campaign throughout the year.