We received a final update on the Turkey Fire. According to the US Forest Service, the Turkey Fire, which is 9 miles northeast of Cliff, has seen very little fire activity in a week and thus, the Type 3 Incident team will be turning back operational control of the fire to the local unit tomorrow evening. To date, the fire has burned 5,220 acres. Closures still in effect are roads 282 and 876. Trails that are closed include Goose Lake Trail and Dorsey Canyon Trail.
In other Forest Service news, the gate at Grapevine has been reopened for vehicle access. This is along the bank of the East Fork of the Gila.
According to a press release from the Bureau of Land Management, financial assistance has been awarded to New Mexico counties for community wildfire reduction, planning, and outreach. There is more than 1.2 million being awarded through grants and projects for the purposes of improving wildfire resilience efforts. One of the programs includes the New Mexico Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Program. This offers annual grants for hazardous fuels reduction, community wildfire protection plans, and education/outreach activities. Those eligible include county governments or municipalities, non-profits, statutorily recognized political subdivisions, or a Native American Tribe working on behalf of one or more communities at risk from wildfires.
The Hidalgo County Fair happens next week, August 24th-27th in Lordsburg. You won’t want to miss all of the fun at the Hidalgo County Fair including dancing the Yarbrough Band on Friday night, August 25th, and Saturday night, August 26th, after the Baca Rodeo Company Renegade Tour Stop. Junior Livestock Sale is Saturday.
Also next weekend is the Great American Duck Race, August 24th-27th in Deming. There is a carnival all day, plus all the exciting duck race action. Get in on racing a duck, enjoying hot air balloons, live music, and extras such as tortilla toss contest, outhouse races, horseshoe tournament and more. Go to Deming Duck Race dot com to learn more.
Also, the date of the Cliff-Gila Grant County Fair is September 20th-24th. To learn more about this year’s event, go to grant county fair n m dot com. The Yarbourgh band will also be playing at the Grant County Fair. There will be a carnival, car show, and all the other great fair activities. Nightly rodeos and lots of fun will be happening in September.
In university news, two Western New Mexico University master’s degree programs, the Master of Arts in Counseling and the Master of Social Work, have teamed with the New Mexico Expanding Opportunities Project (EOP) to support graduate students who plan to provide mental health care in the state’s school system. Sponsored by the NM Department of Education’s Safe and Healthy Schools Bureau, the EOP “aims to recruit and retain school-based mental health (SBMH) professionals to serve the needs of students across New Mexico, focusing on rural and frontier communities with a high percentage of at-risk and vulnerable student populations,” according to the program’s website. The program is funded with a grant from the United States Department of Education.
A reminder on the road work underway on NM 80 in Hidalgo County. Chip sealing began yesterday. This means NM 80 is closed from interstate 10, ext 5 to NM 145 (Goat Camp Rd) for approximately 8 miles.
