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Experts urge Taos to join watershed coalition and fund forest restoration to reduce fire and flood risk
Summary
A countywide coalition caller outlined forest and watershed risks to Taos, urged municipal participation with the Taos Valley Watershed Coalition and suggested modest town funding to leverage larger grants.
JR Logan, a local conservation practitioner, briefed the council on forest and watershed health across Taos County on Nov. 12, urging more municipal engagement and modest local funding to catalyze larger state and federal grants.
Logan highlighted that the Rio Pueblo de Taos watershed and other headwaters feeding the town are at elevated risk for high‑severity wildfire and destructive post‑fire debris flows. He explained that decades of fire suppression and dense forest growth have increased the likelihood of so‑called crown fires that can move rapidly and generate downstream floods and debris that damage water infrastructure.
Logan described place‑based collaboratives operating in the county, notably the Taos Valley Watershed Coalition, and said the coalition has brought “well over $20,000,000” to the region for thinning, prescribed fire and restoration work. He encouraged the town to be an active, charter member of the coalition and to participate in quarterly meetings and the community wildfire protection planning process.
He asked the council to consider a small, targeted town contribution to leverage state and federal grants — as little as $10,000 from lodgers tax or general funds — to show municipal buy‑in and increase competitiveness for larger project funds. Several council members supported the symbolic and practical value of a modest commitment and asked staff to explore legal and budget avenues for such funding.
Council members also discussed how town engagement can help expedite work on tribal lands where Taos Pueblo holds jurisdiction; Logan recommended municipal government, the mayor and manager, and local staff reach out to Taos Pueblo leadership and to George Track, the Pueblo’s Division of Natural Resources director, as an initial step.
Logan and councilors noted that some restoration work on federally managed wilderness areas requires NEPA review and that NEPA can take up to 18 months; they said local advocacy can help move those federal processes forward.
