Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
Silver City Ranger District personnel opened four campgrounds for the season beginning today. The campgrounds include the Iron Creek Campground, Railroad Canyon Campground, and the Upper Gallinas Campground in the Black Range off NM 152, and the Cherry Creek Campground off NM 15. District personnel are working to open Lower Gallinas and McMillan campgrounds in the near future. Gila National Forest officials remind visitors that weather and conditions can changed suddenly in the high country and to be aware of potential hazards in campgrounds and on forest roads.
Prescribed burning continues across the Gila National Forest as Wilderness Ranger District fire managers plan to conduct tow prescribed fires between April and mid-May as conditions allow. These prescribed fire activities are broadcast burns where fire is applied to most or all of an area within well-defined boundaries. The two projects are Gattons Park, 60 acres along Highway 35 by the old GOS Ranch; and T-Bird, 128 acres west of Camp Thunderbird south of the private property on Ponderosa Road.
The Baker Canyon Wildfire, located approximately 28 miles northeast of Douglas on the Arizona, New Mexico border has reached 6,800 acres and is currently 15% contained. The fire is most active on the southern and eastern edges of the fire, with fire behavior light to moderate and mostly driven by occasional wind gusts. The Baker Canyon Fire began Monday around 5 am, and the cause is still under investigation.
Windy and dry conditions will return on Saturday, resulting in a Fire Weather Warning, which is in effect Saturday afternoon through Saturday evening. There will be strong, gusty winds and low relative humidity in fire weather zones 055, 056, 110, 111, 112 and 113, which includes southwest New Mexico and far west Texas. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.
In sports action, two WNMU Mustang tennis players earned RMAC Player of the Week awards. Junior Jean-Laurent Pageault went 2-1 in both singles and doubles action this week. Fellow Junior Gemma Goodland went 1-2 in singles and 2-1 in doubles for the week. WNMU returns to action this week against Texas-Permian Basin on Saturday in Las Cruces, and against NMSU on Sunday. The men return to action on April 1st at MSU Denver.
Don’t forget about the Kiwanis free Community Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday at Penny Park. The hunts are scheduled throughout the morning according to age group. Remember: children must be registered for their hunt 30 minutes prior to the hunt time! Please arrive early. Children who are not registered on time will not be able to hunt during another age group. Ages 12 and over will begin their hunt at 9 am, ages 10-11 at 9:30, ages 8-9 at 10, ages 6-7 at 10:30, ages 4-5 at 11, and ages 3 and under at 11:30. Children under the age of three must be able to walk on their own. There will be pictures with the Easter Bunny, and other fun stuff for children. Don’t forget to register early!
