SW Jemez Mountains Forest Restoration Project
Hosts Annual Public Meeting
SANTA FE, NM – March 31, 2016 – For Immediate Release. The public is invited to the 2016 “all hands” meeting for a comprehensive update on the largest landscape-scale forest restoration project in New Mexico on April 7-8, 2016, at the Santa Fe Community College (SFCC).
The Southwest Jemez Mountains (SWJM) Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project is a long-term collaborative effort to restore forest ecosystems at the landscape scale and improve resilience to major disturbances, including fire, insects and disease, and climate change. The project covers 210,000 acres in the Jemez Mountains, 110,000 of which are within Santa Fe National Forest boundaries.
On Thursday, project managers will update on implementation, including forest thinning, prescribed burns and watershed restoration. Scientists and natural resource specialists will also report on the impact of implementation activities on vegetation, wildlife, fish and stream habitats, cultural resources and socioeconomic conditions in the area. The Friday session will be a public discussion of restoration projects proposed for 2017.
Both days will begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday and 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Sessions will be held in the Jemez Rooms at SFCC. Parking is free, and the college cafeteria will be open for lunch. The campus is ADA-accessible.
Lead partners in the SWJM project include the Santa Fe National Forest, Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP), U.S. Geological Survey, Forest Stewards Guild, New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute, New Mexico Forest Industry Association, Pueblo of Jemez, WildEarth Guardians and The Nature Conservancy.
The agenda for the public meeting and directions to SFCC are posted on the Santa Fe National Forest website. For additional information, contact:
· Bob Parmenter, Chief of Science & Resource Stewardship, Valles Caldera National Preserve, at 575.829.4850 or Robert_Parmenter@nps.gov
· Jarrett Garcia, SWJM Partnership Coordinator, at 575.829.3535 or johnjgarcia@fs.fed.us