Santa Fe National Forest Announces a Community-Centered Approach for post-Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon Emergency Response and Recovery

The Santa Fe National Forest understands the profound
impact the Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon (HPCC) fire has on our communities and are dedicated to
listening and addressing your concerns with honesty and transparency. Our goal is to ensure
that the needs of community members are at the forefront of all recovery efforts.
The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) is committed to fostering a collaborative relationship with
local communities as we navigate the challenges posed by Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon (HPCC)
post-fire impacts and recognize the importance of community engagement in the path to
recovery.
To move from emergency response to long-term recovery work, the SFNF will begin the formal
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to identify proposed actions as part of an
Environmental Assessment (EA). It is important that this process be collaborative. Over the next
eight months we have a series of community engagement events to hear your voice and wisdom
regarding long term post fire recovery.
As part of the engagement strategy our SFNF team will attend and present at a series of Tribal,
local County and City government, and other important partner meetings to report on ongoing
recovery work. Our participation is focused on sharing vital information about post-HPCC
response and understanding community concerns, ideas and vision for recovery.
If you would like the SFNF to attend one of your gatherings, whether it is an organization’s
board meeting or a general community member meeting to update on long-term recovery
actions, contact Claudia Brookshire, SFNF Public Affairs Officer at
claudia.brookshire@usda.gov.
The SFNF is offering two opportunities in August for the public to learn more about our current
emergency response and inform communities about resources available to those affected: The
agenda for the two public events includes USDA Forest Service Santa Fe National Forest
providing a short presentation on current recovery efforts, community resources, and what to
expect for long-term recovery planning. Participants will then have an opportunity to speak with
groups involved in recovery in an open house format. Partners and government agencies will be
present to answer questions regarding non-Forest Service lands.
The dates for these events will be:
Open House, Tuesday, August 27
• Time: 5:30-7:30 pm
• Location: Student Union Building at New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, NM
Open House, Wednesday August 28
• Time: 5:30-7:30 pm
• Location: Buena Vista Fire Department, County Road 12, Buena Vista, NM
Following these engagements, the SFNF will present proposed actions identified for long-term
recovery and conduct the official ‘scoping’ part of the Environmental Assessment (EA). We aim
to engage communities early in the NEPA process to gain valuable knowledge regarding long-
term recovery within the burned area on Forest Service lands. During the official comment
period we plan on hosting comment workshops, to support you in submitting comments and
providing feedback.
As we work together, we want to hear what recovery looks like for you. We want to learn more
about how you want to be engaged and what aspects of recovery are most important.
To learn more please visit the SFNF website and social media pages (Facebook and X).