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BLM briefed San Miguel commissioners on Ferris and Cross Canyon fires; rehab assessment underway
Summary
Derek Padilla of the Tres Rios BLM told the San Miguel County Board that no county land was directly burned in the Ferris fire, an assessment team is compiling recommendations for longer-term rehabilitation, and the Cross Canyon fire (~140 acres) was contained within 48 hours.
Derek Padilla, a representative of the Tres Rios BLM field office, briefed the San Miguel County Board of County Commissioners on recent fires in and near the county and on the agency's recovery planning. He told the board that "fortunately, you know, no San Miguel, property owners or or San Miguel County, land was impacted directly, by fire," and that BLM crews installed contingency lines where needed.
Padilla said an emergency stabilization and burned area rehabilitation (BAR) team is completing an assessment of impacts and will recommend steps to reduce erosion and infrastructure damage; some recommendations will seek competitive BAR grants while emergency stabilization (ES) work is charged to the incident and is not competitive. On recent smaller fires he said the Cross Canyon fire reached about 140 acres and was "100% contained" within two days, and that other lightning-caused fires in the area have ranged from roughly 60 to 120 acres. The BLM also flagged immediate concerns at campgrounds and Dolores River overlook areas where heavy rains have caused debris flows and sediment mobilization.
Padilla outlined a multi-year timeline for implementing BAR recommendations depending on funding and the scope of repairs, and he asked local partners to stay engaged. He said the BLM has been coordinating with sheriff and emergency management staff on evacuations and incident management and that some emergency stabilization work has already been completed.
