Liana Star, Grade 12
UWC Mostar
In the past five years, fires caused due to climate change or human interference have plagued New Mexico. Most recently, UWC USA students were evacuated due to a controlled burn that unfortunately became too big to be contained. The UWC USA campus was threatened and there was concern that the castle itself may burn down. Although some of these fires are not necessarily preventable (unless climate change is directly curbed), a large portion of the damage could be avoided if the local government acknowledged climate change and the effect it may have on controlled burns. Nearly 60 million USD was issued by Governor Michelle Lujan Gisham (Boyd, Albuquerque Journal 2022) to attempt to provide emergency funds to fight the most recent fires occurring in mid 2022. New Mexico has been facing drought conditions since around 2011, a fact which most residents are well aware of. The dry conditions within the state allow for fires to spread extremely easily and quickly. In 2022 alone, two fires were able to burn about 660,000 acres across New Mexico (Boyd, Albuquerque Journal 2022). As of July 7th, the most recent fire that set records across the state in regards to the damage it caused, was still not contained (Davis, Albuquerque Journal 2022). John Formby, New Mexico’s forest health programme manager, stated that insects were crucial in fire prevention within New Mexico. Bark beetles’ damage “prim[ed]” New Mexico’s high elevation forests to be susceptible to forest fires (Davis, Albuquerque Journal 2022). There’s a fragile balance that must be found within New Mexico forests: making sure prescribed burns (controlled burns) occur often enough that no further fires will naturally take place, and making sure the conditions for these controlled fires are actually safe. As a result of the fires in 2022, most access points to New Mexico’s National Forests and other wilderness trails were closed semi-permanently. There is great fear that if campers or hikers are allowed to access these areas, they may potentially/accidentally cause a new fire to spark. Recently, another fire-related controversy was the death of four state officials. The three Sheriff's Officers and one Bernalillo County Fire Department member were responding to a wildfire when the helicopter they were being transported in crashed. The crew was assisting in “providing bucket drops and other air logistics'' (Falconer, Axios 2022). The deaths of these public servants are currently under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. Their deaths added to the count of deaths that fires in 2022 have caused within New Mexico, a number that is continuously growing.
Works Cited
Falconer, Rebecca. “4 Killed in New Mexico after Sheriff’s Helicopter Crashes on Way Back from Wildfire.” Axios, 18 July 2022, www.axios.com/2022/07/18/new-mexico-helicopter-crash-kills-four-fire-responders. Accessed 22 July 2022.
“Foresters: Scale up Restoration Efforts to Prevent More Wildfires - Albuquerque Journal.” Www.abqjournal.com, www.abqjournal.com/2514433/new-mexico-foresters-scale-up-restoration-work-to-prevent-wildfires.html. Accessed 22 July 2022.
“N.M. Wildfires Drive Surge in Emergency Funding Orders.” GovTech, 20 July 2022, www.govtech.com/em/safety/nm-wildfires-drive-surge-in-emergency-funding-orders. Accessed 22 July 2022.
Image Courtesy: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/14/us/new-mexico-wildfire-deaths.html
Works Cited
Falconer, Rebecca. “4 Killed in New Mexico after Sheriff’s Helicopter Crashes on Way Back from Wildfire.” Axios, 18 July 2022, www.axios.com/2022/07/18/new-mexico-helicopter-crash-kills-four-fire-responders. Accessed 22 July 2022.
“Foresters: Scale up Restoration Efforts to Prevent More Wildfires - Albuquerque Journal.” Www.abqjournal.com, www.abqjournal.com/2514433/new-mexico-foresters-scale-up-restoration-work-to-prevent-wildfires.html. Accessed 22 July 2022.
“N.M. Wildfires Drive Surge in Emergency Funding Orders.” GovTech, 20 July 2022, www.govtech.com/em/safety/nm-wildfires-drive-surge-in-emergency-funding-orders. Accessed 22 July 2022.
Image Courtesy: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/14/us/new-mexico-wildfire-deaths.html
www.unitedworldwide.co