BEYOND OUR BACKYARD‘Living in the Wildland Urban Interface’

April 10-12, 2014Ruidoso Convention Center

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS PROGRAM

2 BEYOND OUR BACKYARD – Living in the WUI • ENMU-RUIDOSO April 11, 2014

BEYOND OUR BACKYARD ‘Living in the Wildland Urban Interface’April 10-12, 2014 • Ruidoso Convention Center

SCHEDULE:Thursday, April 10, The Lodge at Sierra Blanca 5 - 6:30 p.m. Meet and greet

Friday, April 11, Ruidoso Convention Center 8 a.m. Tradeshow opens 8:30 - 9 a.m. Smokey Bear as Icon and Symbol: His Past, Future and Signi� cance to Lincoln County, Bennie Long/EMNRD 9 - 9:45 a.m. The Changing Faces of Lincoln County – a Photographic Documentation of Historic Vegetation Changes by Hollis Fuchs. 10 - 10:45 a.m. Fire History and Behavior, Dr. Doug Cram, NMSU 10:45 - 11:30 a.m. Anatomy of a Fire from a Management Perspective: Who Does What

and Why, David Cunningham, Fire Management O� cer, NM State Forestry

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Philip Connors, author of Fire Season: Field Notes From a Wilderness Lookout Named the best nature book of the

year by Amazon.com, winner of the National Outdoor Book Award, the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award, the Reading the West Award for non-� ction and the grand prize from the Ban� Mountain Book Competition

1:30 - 2:15 p.m. Ecological Impacts of Native and Non-Native Plants, Aurora Roemmich, U.S. Forest Botanist, Lincoln National Forest 2:15 - 3 p.m. Restoration of Forest Health, Charlie Denton, Natural Resource Conservation, LLC, retired from USFS and Greater Ruidoso Area

Wildland Urban Interface Working Group 3 - 3:45 p.m. Smoke Management and YOU! Claudia Standish, BLM 4 p.m. Tradeshow closes 3:45 - 4:30 p.m. Wildlife in Wild� re, Quentin Hays, ENMU-Ruidoso Assistant Professor and Department Chair

Saturday, April 12, Ruidoso Convention Center ~10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Forest Health Conference � eld visit Leave from Ruidoso Convention Center

April 11, 2014 BEYOND OUR BACKYARD – Living in the WUI • ENMU-RUIDOSO 3

Forest Health Conference field visitSaturday, April 12 • ~10 a.m. - 3 p.m.Following the Forest Health Conference on Friday, April 11, a small group of participants will join Assistant Professor of Natural Resources Quentin Hays and Fuels Specialist Dan Ray from the Smokey Bear District of the Lincoln National Forest on a � eld tour to discuss forest health issues. Areas of focus will include � re ecology in the southwest, particularly in light of a rapidly changing climate and using the Little Bear Fire as a case study, as well as fuels reduction projects on the Lincoln National Forest including lop and scatter, mastication and pile burning strategies. Additionally, participants will discuss recent drought/climate-driven insect outbreaks, and will tour particularly hazardous areas of the wildland-urban interface in Ruidoso. Firewise construction and landscaping practices will also be covered. A small fee for this trip covers a bag lunch. Participants will leave from the Convention Center on Saturday morning.

In 2011, Dr. James Miller approached the ENMU-Ruidoso Community Education department about hosting a renewable energy conference. A long-time advocate of alternative energy options, Dr. Miller has a wealth of knowledge and contacts that he brought to Ruidoso. The event became an annual one with speakers and vendors coming from across the Southwest to o� er information on the latest status on solar, wind and biomass technologies.

Last year, the focus of the conference shifted to water issues. This year, Mary Weaver of the Little Bear Forest Reform Coalition, approached ENMU-Ruidoso Community Education to be one of the partners in a collaborative outreach e� ort to educate and make local citizens aware of issues concerning living in the WUI (wildland urban interface). Along with the USFS, Lincoln National Forest, NM State Forestry, Village of Ruidoso Forestry, Lincoln County, SCMRC & DC,

Mescalero/BIA, Little Bear Forest Reform Coalition and private citizens, a series of forest health

talks took place the � rst Tuesday of the month. Local businesses donated food and door prizes and, to date, over two hundred people listened to experts talk about bugs, what a healthy forest should look like, timber

harvesting, defensible space and emergency response to � re and � ooding. Due to

the popularity of the these talks, we plan on resuming them after the conference.

We hope you enjoy this conference. It is both a culmination and an

extension of the e� orts of many dedicated people whose aim is

to help us all be more prepared, connected and knowledgeable about living in the WUI.

Thank you for coming and be sure to check www.ruidoso.enmu.edu for upcoming talks.

BEYOND OUR BACKYARD ‘Living in the Wildland Urban Interface’

4 BEYOND OUR BACKYARD – Living in the WUI • ENMU-RUIDOSO April 11, 2014

Biographies of speakersBennie Long moved to New Mexico in 1978. Since then, she has spent most of her years in the tourist industry. She was recruited by the U.S. Forest Service where she was one of the � rst female � re � ghters on the Lincoln National Forest. She worked for approximately 11 years as a seasonal � re � ghter for the USFS and State Forestry Division of New Mexico. After spending many hours on the � re line she was recommended to the Lincoln State Monument where she spent 15 years as a monument ranger, and two years as the interim manager and she has been the Fire Chief of the Lincoln Fire Department for the past 15 years. Her life has come full circle as she now is the manager of the Smokey Bear Historical Park and will most likely spend the rest of career years in Fire Prevention and educating the public about Smokey’s message.

SPEAKER BIO: BENNIE LONG

Doug Cram is an assistant professor and Extension Fire Specialist at New Mexico State University. His research and extension e� orts focus on management of forests, rangelands and riparian areas with a particular concentration on the interaction of � re within these systems. Contact him anytime to discuss and arrange a program to � t your needs.

David Cunningham started as an Engine Crew Member and worked through the ranks to his present position of Fire Management O� cer of the Capitan District. He has served 14 years with the New Mexico State Forestry. His responsibilities in this position include managing seven counties including Municipal and County Volunteer Departments, o� ering assistance to departments when � res occur, and coordinating the Recourse Mobilization Plan. This plan is designed to mobilize all who have contracts to participate in the program. County and municipal � re depart-ments that are available to help communities in the state during � re emergencies. Cunningham was also in the sheep and cattle industry for 20 years.

SPEAKER BIO: DAVID CUNNINGHAM

Aurora Roemmich holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology for Information Systems from Dakota State University and a master’s degree in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Botany and Ecology from South Dakota State University. Her graduate research focused on testing the e� ect of pre-chill treatment and various temperature regimes on the viability, dormancy and germinability of selected native species in the Black Hills, S.D. She spent � ve summers as a Biological Science Technician with the U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station in western South Dakota, and she spent close to three years as a District Botanist with the Wayne National Forest in southeast Ohio, before transferring to the Lincoln National Forest as the Forest Botanist in November 2013. Roemmich has served as a member of the Iron Furnace Cooperative Weed Management Area and the Appalachian Ohio Weed Control Partnership groups, and was an elected board member of the Ohio Invasive Plant Council.

SPEAKER BIO: AURORA ROEMMICH

SPEAKER BIO: DOUG CRAM

April 11, 2014 BEYOND OUR BACKYARD – Living in the WUI • ENMU-RUIDOSO 5

Charles Denton has more than 50 years experience in forest and ecological management. His 35 years with the U.S. Forest Service covered several forests in Arizona and New Mexico and he was a District Ranger on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests for 18 years. He has extensive � re management experience and was on National Incident Command teams for over 20 years. He was a National Incident Commander for six years and a National Area Commander for three years. He retired from the Forest Service as the Assistant Director of Aviation and Fire Management for the Southwest Region of the Forest Service. After retirement, Denton joined the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University his alma mater. He worked for nine years as a liaison with land management agencies in transforming scienti� c research data into a format that could be used by practitioners. He also-authored several published research papers concerning ecological restoration. He has been active with the GRAWUIWG since 2001. Most recently he has been associated with the Natural Resource Conservation LLC from Boulder City, Nev.

After studying and performing both modern dance and ballet with various dance companies, Claudia Standish began her career in wildland � re management with the USDA Forest Service in 1981. From 1981-2007, while employed on forests in Arizona, California and New Mexico, she was “kept on her toes” working in various � re� ghting positions. She served as a wildland � re� ghter on engines and Hotshots, an initial attack � re dispatcher, a � re prevention specialist, a public information o� cer, a National Fire Prevention Team specialist, a wildland urban interface specialist and as a liaison to, and participant with, the national Firewise program during its early years. In 2007, Standish accepted the Smoke Management position with the Bureau of Land Management’s New Mexico State o� ce. She works closely with the New Mexico Environment Department’s Air Quality Bureau, administering the Smoke Management Program and coordinating communications between the burners, air quality regulators, New Mexico Department of Health and the public. During wild� re season, Standish supports large wild� res as an Air Resource Advisor in New Mexico and across the country. She has been happily married to Miles Standish for more than 30 years and has two adult daughters. She enjoys staying active, working with animals and spending time around water – speci� cally, exploring the ocean – whenever possible!

SPEAKER BIO: CHARLES DENTON

SPEAKER BIO: CLAUDIA STANDISH

Quentin Hays is an assistant professor of Science and Natural Resources at Eastern New Mexico University in Ruidoso, where he has created and instructed numerous courses including Fire Ecology. He has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana and a M.Sc. in Biology (Ecology and Evolution) from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Hays is a certi� ed Type II Fire� ghter (Wildland) and Administratively Determined (AD) Technical Specialist (THSP) for the Lincoln National Forest. His experience with � re and water issues dates back to his years in Montana, when he led � eld crews for multiple seasons studying wildlife and wild� re interactions for the national Fire and Fire Surrogate Study. In addition, he examined post-� re use of riparian areas by migratory birds while at the University of Montana, Division of Biological Sciences, Organismal Biology and Ecology. He is also involved with the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (USFS) in New Mexico. In 2011, along with biologists from Bat Conservation International and the Lincoln National Forest he received the Wings Across The Americas award for Bat Conservation for wetland restoration work on Forest lands. His wildlife and ecology work and studies have taken him from Montana to Maine, Alaska to Louisiana, Jamaica to New Zealand and beyond.

SPEAKER BIO: QUENTIN HAYS

6 BEYOND OUR BACKYARD – Living in the WUI • ENMU-RUIDOSO April 11, 2014

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Forest health is not just about preventing invasive plant species or taking care of pest infestations, forest health is also about the danger of suppressing forest � res. With � re prevention from humans, it’s created overgrowth, dry soil due to overgrowth and an increasing number of dead trees in the forest, acting as � re fuel and causing other dangers to arise.

Forest � res are usually natural occurrences that need to happen in order to rejuvenate the soil, eliminate old and dead trees and provide room for new growth. By preventing � res to burn through certain areas, the population is creating overgrowth. This overgrowth is dangerous in various ways. The community has to worry about cutting more trees down and working harder to thin out property to make it � re safe. Also, with so many trees growing in the soil, the tree roots obtain most of the moisture. This leaves the soil dry and kills o� other plant species competing for water as well. Overgrowth also causes other trees to die. When the trees die, their roots will not contain water, causing rain water and snow melt to run through the soil and erode it. This is where � ood mitigation comes in. Lincoln County‘s current status for the community plan was a� ective in 2012 and will not expire until 2017. Individuals apart of the Mitigation Unit assist with placing the proper equipment in speci� c areas to reduce the short and long-term adverse impacts of natural hazard events. With erosion, the soil becomes weak and unstable for heavy, dead trees, making the forest dangerous for hikers, � re � ghters, and even animals. Falling trees and even falling branches would be enough to kill someone. With all these dead and dry trees in our forest, it puts us at higher risk in thick brush areas. When areas are thick with trees, dead or alive, it’s unsafe to send � re � ghters in to protect those areas. The temperature next to the � re isn’t the only thing that is dangerous especially if the wind is blowing. With embers scattering through the forest, there are high risks that � re � ghters could get trapped and surrounded by � ames.

Some � res are unavoidable to suppress especially those close to urban areas. However, if � res can burn through rural parts then we should let them burn. Letting the land and brush build up is unnatural and is harmful to the land and our forests. Preventing wild� res has caused overgrowth, dry soil due to overgrowth, and a growing number of dead trees. With large controlled burns in speci� c areas we could eliminate some of these dangers and move one step closer to a healthier forest.

Fuqua Tax and Financial Management

Anna FuquaEnrolled Agent

anna.fuqua@hotmail.comRuidoso Downs, NM 88346 • 575-937-6849

Tax Preparation • Bookkeeping • Business Startup • Payroll Services

Forest health by Ashley Bahr

April 11, 2014 BEYOND OUR BACKYARD – Living in the WUI • ENMU-RUIDOSO 7

Forest health is not just about preventing invasive plant species or taking care of pest infestations, forest health is also about the danger of suppressing forest � res. With � re prevention from humans, it’s created over-growth, dry soil due to over-growth, and an increasing number of dead trees in the forest acting as � re fuel and causing other dangers to arise. Forest � res are usually natural occurrences that need to happen in order to rejuvenate the soil, kill o� old and dead trees, and provide room for new growth. By preventing � res to burn through certain areas, the population is creating over-growth. This over-growth is dangerous in various ways. We have to worry about cutting more trees down and working harder to thin out property to make it � re safe. Also, with so many trees growing in the soil, the tree roots obtain most of the moisture. This leaves the soil dry and kills o� other plant species struggling for water as well. Over-growth also causes other trees to die. When the trees die, their roots will not contain water, causing rain water and snow melt to run through the soil and erode it. With erosion, the soil becomes weak and unstable for heavy, dead trees, making the forest dangerous for hikers, � re � ghters, and even animals. Falling trees and even falling

branches would be enough to kill someone. With all these dead and dry trees in our forest, it puts us at higher risk in thick brush areas. When areas are thick with trees, dead or alive, it’s unsafe to send � re � ghters in to protect those areas. This shows how important it really is to thin your property and do what you can to protect your home and the land you live on.

Fire prevention by Ashley Bahr

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