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INCIWEB UPDATE

SOUTH FORK AND SALT BAER ASSESSMENTS

JULY 26, 2024

The South Fork and Salt Fires Department of Interior (DOI) and USDA Forest Service (USFS) BAER Teams are working collaboratively on a common post-fire recovery rapid assessment process. The two teams consist of 24 BAER specialists with expertise in hydrology, forestry, soils, range conservation, spatial mapping, engineering, archaeology, recreation, wildlife biology, and public information. This collaborative BAER assessment incorporates the successful effort to include a specialist from USDA Natural Resources Conversation Service (NRCS) to address post-fire concerns on non-federal lands; by working beside federal partners conducting a similar rapid assessment. NRCS can streamline its assistance to affected landowners with timely data as BIA and USFS specialists evaluate post-fire impacts to Tribal lands and National Forest lands.

Currently, BAER specialists are conducting field surveys and gathering knowledge from local Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Tribal, USFS, state, and county officials about potential critical values at risk of post-fire impacts. These critical values – which consist of human life and safety, property, and important cultural and natural resources – are entered into the BAER Teams’ spatial watershed models, which predict the increased risk of flooding and debris flows during monsoons, for all areas in, around, and downstream from the fires. The model, being produced by the USFS BAER Team hydrologist, factors in potential rainfall on changed soil conditions (from pre-fire to post-fire) and will inform all cooperators planning for post-fire mitigation actions in the coming weeks, months, and years. 

Yesterday, several BAER specialists collected soil burn severity data in the field, even though flash flood warnings curtailed their work in the afternoon. Other BAER specialists met at length with Mescalero Apache Tribe officials about post-fire concerns to forestry, range, and infrastructure; they will spend the next several days together on Tribal lands surveying these locations.  Additionally, the BAER Teams are collaborating with New Mexico Division of Forestry, Lincoln County, Village of Ruidoso, City of Ruidoso Downs, and Upper Hondo Soil and Water Conservation District to collect data on potential areas of concern.

To maximize their effectiveness and keep all affected parties informed, the DOI and USFS BAER Team Leaders are providing a daily morning update to leadership and cooperators-- summarizing their teams’ joint progress and the next day’s plans. Each team will ultimately produce a risk assessment with which may included emergency stabilization treatment plans for consideration by the BIA Mescalero Agency and the Lincoln National Forest managers.

BAER SAFETY MESSAGE: Everyone near and downstream from the burned areas should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains and increased water runoff. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events--be prepared to act. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at the National Weather Service website: www.weather.gov/abq/.

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