Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
The Reserve Ranger District would like to remind visitors to always practice campfire safety. The district has responded to three abandoned campfires in the last week. One fire grew to be 15 acres before being suppressed. The forest has seen an increase in visitor use from shed hunters, and anticipate more visitors with turkey hunts starting this weekend. The Gila National Forest would like to remind visitors to always practice campfire safety by practicing the following tips: clear all flammable material away from the fire for a minimum of five (5) feet in all directions; make a fire only if you have a shovel and sufficient water to put it out, never leave a campfire unattended and put it out at night, and avoid making a campfire during the windy part of the day. In addition, make sure the campfire is out by drowning with water and stir with dirt, making sure all burned materials are extinguished. Put your hand in the ashes to make sure it’s cold. If it’s too hot to touch it needs more water and more stirring. To report a fire on the forest, please call Silver City Interagency Dispatch at 575-538-5371. Every campfire should be put DEAD OUT before leaving it.
In other Gila National Forest news,
The Gila National Forest is looking for high school students, ages 17 and older, who are interested in a “call-when-needed” summer job that will provide an environment to learn about Fire Management and the Forest Service. This season, the Gila NF hopes to sponsor up to five 10-member crews who would respond to and help with manual labor tasks in a fire camp setting and provide assistance to fire management teams with the logistics of camp set-up and maintenance.
There will be two recruitment meetings, April 12th or April 17th, both at 7:00 p.m. at the Grant County Veterans Memorial Business and Convention Center, located at 3031 US Hwy 180, in Silver City. Visit their website at f s dot usda dot gov slash gila and look under the “recent news” tab for more information.
The American Magnesium company has responded to the Federal Bureau of Land Management’s request for clarification regarding an application that was submitted for a minimal impact mining permit to quarry dolomite from the foothills near the Florida Mountains in Deming. The application that American Magnesium submitted last year was considered incomplete. The new filing included revised maps, figures and other material requested by the BLM. The application proposes that American Magnesium will transport dolomite rock from the site to a processing facility, whereby magnesium metal will be extracted and the remaining rock used for manufacturing cement.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation and the TLC Company is holding a public involvement meeting to discuss the improvement project of NM 15 Pinos Altos Read reconstruction project on Wednesday, April 11th from 6:00 to 7:30 P.M. at the Silver City/Grant County Chamber of Commerce. The public is encouraged to ask questions and provide comments during this meeting. The Chamber is located at the Grant County Veterans Memorial Business & Conference Center, 3031 Highway 180 East in Silver City.
