Lincoln National Forest, Guadalupe Mountains National Park closing due to fire danger
Lincoln National Forest and Guadalupe Mountains National Park both announced widespread closures Monday that effect Wednesday in an effort to stem the risk of wildfires to public safety.
A forest-wide closure order goes into effect for the Lincoln National Forest beginning at 8 a.m., May 25 and will be lifted on or before July 30, depending on weather conditions.
The 1.1 million-acre forest stretching through Eddy, Otero and Lincoln counties will be closed due to active wildfires across New Mexico and an extreme fire danger that remains in effect until further notice.
"All National Forest System lands, recreation sites, campgrounds, roads, trails, and trailheads within the boundary of the Lincoln National Forest will be closed to the general public," a Lincoln National Forest news release states. "County and state roads that cross Forest Service lands are not under the Forest Service’s jurisdiction and will remain open to vehicular traffic. Local communities will remain open for business during the closure."
Residential and business indoor fireplace use is still allowed.
Prior to implementing fire restrictions or forest closures, forest managers consider factors such as fire danger, fire activity, weather conditions, firefighting resource availability, economic impacts to businesses and communities and local, regional and national fire preparedness levels, the news release state.
More: Assessment of McBride Fire's burn impact still underway
Guadalupe Mountains National Park will also close most areas of the park and trails in the wilderness areas including Bear Canyon, Bowl, Blue Ridge, Bush Mountain, El Capitan, Foothills, Frijole Ranch, Juniper, Marcus, McKittrick Canyon, Permian Reef and the Smith Spring trails.
The McKittrick Canyon Road, including the McKittrick Visitor Center, was also closed, including the Dog Canyon developed area and campground, along with the Indian Meadow Nature Trail.
Frijole Ranch Road, Frijole Horse Corral Campground and the Frijole Ranch Museum were also closed.
The Salt Basin Dunes trailhead remained open, along with the Pine Springs are including the visitor center, campground and trailhead.
More: Black Fire grows by 40% over the weekend to more than 145,000 acres, now 8 percent contained
Trails open for day-use only were Guadalupe peak, Devil's Hall and Pinery.
No restrictions at Carlsbad Caverns National Park were announced as of Monday night.
Spring wildfires torch New Mexico
In April, two fires consumed parts of Lincoln county including areas of the Village of Ruidoso and Nogal Canyon.
The McBride Fire burned 6,159 acres, destroyed about 200 structures and led to the deaths of two people.
The Nogal Canyon Fire burned 412 acres including six primary residences and eight outbuildings.
Both fires started on April 12 and are 100% contained.
Wildfires continued to burn in northern parts of the state including the Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak Fires on the Santa Fe National Forest and Carson National Forest.
The Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak Fires are at 40% containment and have burned a combined 311,166 acres as of May 23, according to New Mexico Fire Info.
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Fire restrictions and forest closures are done so with coordination with federal, state, tribal and local partners, the news release states.
Stage 2 fire restrictions remain in effect.
These restrictions include:
Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire or stove fire.
Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is cleared of vegetation and flammable material.
Blasting, welding, or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame.
Using an explosive of any kind. (Fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices are always prohibited in national forests.)
Operating any equipment powered by an internal combustion engine, including chainsaws, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Federal, state and local officers, members of an organized rescue team or firefighting force, residents using roads to access private property, and others authorized by permit may be exempt from the closure order.
Violations of the closure order carry a mandatory appearance in federal court. They are punishable as a Class B misdemeanor by a fine of not more than $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations and/or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.
The Santa Fe National Forest, Carson National Forest and parts of the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands are also closed.
Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. If you have questions about your subscription, please contact Customer Service at AlamogordoDailyNews@Gannett.com or call 1-877-301-0013.
This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: Lincoln National Forest, Guadalupe Mountains closing amid fire threats
