Bandelier updating fire management plan

May 22—Federal park officials are looking to update Bandelier National Monument's 20-year-old fire management plan to consider a landscape that's become more fire-prone under a prolonged drought and climate change.

The National Park Service is inviting public comment until June 3 on the proposed changes to its methods of preventing wildfires and responding to blazes that might flare up.

Established as a national monument in 1916, Bandelier encompasses about 34,000 acres that include a wilderness area and Cerro Grande Peak near Valles Caldera National Preserve.

The fire plan, first drafted in 2005, is evolving to address changes in the landscape, climate and federal policies, officials say.

"Fire management plans are reviewed and updated annually for terminology, policy and other considerations," said Bandelier spokesman Zach Whitlow.

The revisions, if adopted, would foster a more expansive, multi-strategy approach. That would include encouraging more flexibility in fire and ecosystem stewardship and considering climate change's effects.

A team identified a list of areas that should be considered when changing the plan, including environmental considerations such as soil, water, vegetation and wildlife and impacts on human health, recreation and environmental justice.

Managers would continue to use prescribed burns and thinning to reduce flammable vegetation and debris, known as fuels, that could increase the risk of igniting a wildfire and turning it into an inferno. They also would stick with tried-and-tested suppression techniques to combat, contain and extinguish wildfires, deploying ground and air crews and equipment, using no more than is needed to minimize impact to ecosystems, wildlife and cultural sites.

One key proposed change deals with how crews deal with a wildfire.

Under the current plan, a wildfire is fully extinguished within key areas of the park. In some instances, it is allowed to burn within a narrow, clearly defined area to consume fuels, acting as a de facto prescribed fire.

With the proposed changes, crews would have more flexibility in managing the wildfire, Whitlow said. They could use a wider range of strategies to suppress the fire — especially one sparked by lightning — or let it burn to accomplish particular goals.

"The objectives may change as fire moves across the landscape," Whitlow said.

The revised plan also would encourage monitoring, research, using Indigenous knowledge, forming partnerships and applying adaptive methods to foster science-based decision-making amid a changing environment, he said.

Updating the plan regularly is essential in Bandelier.

This northern region has had recent severe wildfires. Among them were the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, which scorched 156,000 acres, and the Cerro Pelado Fire that burned almost 46,000 acres two years ago.

The original plan was drafted after the 2000 Cerro Grande Fire raged through Los Alamos, burning more than 200 homes and dozens of structures at Los Alamos National Laboratory.