The Grant County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has partnered with the American Red Cross to provide and install free smoke alarms in homes without working units. Through the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, smoke alarms will be made available to county residents, with the OEM coordinating installation. Grant County residents who need a smoke alarm can email the OEM [...]

The Silver City Town Council recently approved a resolution authorizing a $1.4 million loan and grant agreement with the New Mexico Finance Authority to support construction of a new sewer bypass on Mill Road. The council also unanimously passed a resolution notifying the public of its intent to amend the town’s land use and zoning codes. In addition, the council [...]

The Silver City Fire Department, in collaboration with partner agencies from across Grant County, will conduct a prescribed burn at 11 Rosedale Road in Silver City on Saturday, September 27. This planned operation is part of ongoing efforts to reduce hazardous fuels, lower wildfire risks, and enhance community safety within the wildland-urban interface. The burn is scheduled to begin in [...]

At its regular meeting, the Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) reviewed recommendations from the Water Trust Board to determine which projects in four southwest New Mexico counties would be the first to receive funding from the New Mexico Unit Fund. The highest-ranked proposal seeks support for the planning and design of a pump delivery system for the San Francisco Soil and [...]

At the recent Grant County Commission meeting, Gila National Forest officials presented plans to implement a moratorium on new hunting and guiding permits in the forest, aiming to gradually reduce service days from 11,000 to 7,000 through attrition. With 105 of New Mexico’s 278 outfitters operating in the Gila, officials noted that the high concentration has created an increasingly crowded [...]

The Town of Silver City Council will convene its Regular Council Meeting this evening, September 23, at 6:00 p.m. at the Grant County Administration Center. The agenda includes proclamations recognizing “Fire Prevention Week” and “A Reaffirmation and Celebration of the Core Values of the Town of Silver City,” as well as the Town Manager’s report. Council members will also consider [...]

The Gila National Forest, in coordination with a permittee, is conducting hazard tree removal and a small-scale forest thinning project along the Frisco Divide Road (Forest Road 209), located south of U.S. Highway 180 between Reserve and Luna in the Quemado Ranger District. The project includes the removal of marked, standing dead trees to enhance public safety for travelers and [...]

The U.S. Forest Service is considering a major change to national forest policy: the possible rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. That rule currently restricts road construction on about 44 million acres of national forest lands across the country, including nearly 730,000 acres in the Gila National Forest. Supporters say the restrictions have preserved backcountry areas, protected watersheds, [...]

The Gila National Forest has announced plans for prescribed fire operations this fall, pending all required approvals. Planned projects include the SU Community Slash Pit in the Reserve Ranger District, the Sheridan Community Slash Pit in the Glenwood Ranger District and slash piles at the Fort Bayard Administrative Site in the Silver City Ranger District. These operations are expected to [...]