GRANTS, N.M. - The Bureau of Land Management Rio Puerco Field Office plans to conduct a prescribed burn on approximately 1,000 acres within the El Malpais National Conservation Area, located approximately 40 miles southeast of Grants, NM, beginning Nov. 26, weather permitting. Fire managers estimate it will take approximately 2 - 4 days to complete the burning operations, although smoke may be visible for longer. The prescribed fire is being done in cooperation with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
This is the second phase of a multi-year forest restoration project on the Cebolla Canyon portion of the NCA. The goal is to improve ecological health of ponderosa pine forests and open up grassy meadows that have become choked with piñon and juniper trees and dense stands of ponderosa pine.
The project location is approximately 40 miles southeast of Grants, NM, in the Cebolla Canyon area east of State Highway 117. Smoke may be visible from Interstate 40 and State Highways 53 and 117.
For additional information about this project, please contact Fire Management Officer Todd Richards at 505-761-8769 or Assistant Fire Management Officer Zach Saavedra at 505-761-8963.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
