News
Luna, New Mexico Forest & Watershed Restoration Institute partner to offer free restoration workshops
Landowners impacted by the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire and subsequent flooding off the burn scar, now need to restore their lands and forests. Luna Community College, in partnership with the New Mexico Forest & Watershed Restoration Institute is offering some answers through a series of free workshops to help landowners address erosion, bring back vegetation and build marketable skills they can use to help others affected by fire. The workshops are called Querencia in Action: Post-Fire Land Restoration.
The first of the free workshops will be held on the following dates:
July 18-19: One rock dams and arroyo restoration:
Where to build, what to build and how to build structures to retain soil and slow down water.
Time: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day.
Please meet at the Mora County parking lot near the Cargo Public Library at 8 a.m.
July 20-21: Erosion control with log structures:
How to use charred trees to stabilize soils after a fire.
Time: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day.
Please meet at the San Geronimo Fire Station, 623 CR A19A at 8 a.m.
The workshops will cover:
- Reading the landscape and assessing post-fire damage, risks, and hazards
- How to use burn severity maps to assess your land’s vulnerability to flooding
- Post-fire forest thinning
- Adapting road and culverts for post-fire flood mitigation
- Erosion control with log structures, wattles, mulch and soil amendments
- One-rock dams and arroyo restoration
- Trash and debris racks
- Contour felling and upland restoration for erosion prevention
- Seed mixes and tree/shrub planting
- Basic principles in monitoring the effects of post-fire restoration
“We are very excited to partner with the NM Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute and offer land conservation and restoration workshops to individuals from our communities,” said Luna President Dr. Edward Martinez. “These workshops are intended to provide some basic training to individuals who may have lost their ability to make a living off the land because of the recent wildfires and give them skills that will enable them to seek employment restoring the fire impacted areas. The hope is that individuals who participate in the training will possess the skills needed to be hired to do some of this work by contractors or landowners. In addition, these workshops will also benefit landowners who can utilize what they learn to restore their own property.”
You may sign up at luna.edu or show up at the designated meeting areas on the day of the workshops. For assistance, contact Karen Wezwick at 505-454-5308 or via e-mail at kwezwick@luna.edu.