Pojoaque allowing sale of fireworks banned in county
Pueblo governor admits it’s not appropriate ‘right now’ to use products in face of drought
POJOAQUE nder a sweltering tent along U.S. 84/285 northwest of Santa Fe, tables are teeming with displays of fireworks. The fireworks come in boxes big and small. They explode. They pop. They spiral and spin. They shoot high into the air and light up the night sky. And many of them are prohibited in surrounding communities because of extreme fire danger that also has led to the closure of nearby national forests.
Operator Valerie Muldez said she encourages people who buy fireworks to be safe,
Uconsiderate and use common sense. “If you have a moral conflict about it, don’t buy fireworks and don’t light fireworks,” she said Tuesday in between talking to a steady stream of customers. “To each his own.”
Despite the drought and high fire hazard, Pojoaque Pueblo allowed a vendor to set up shop at two locations on tribal land to sell fireworks, including missile-type rockets, aerial spinners and others that are banned not just in neighboring communities but on the pueblo itself.
“We’re expecting people to be responsible about purchasing and the use of them,” pueblo Gov. Joseph Talachy said in a telephone interview. “Just like alcohol. We have liquor establishments, but we don’t expect people to drink and drive.”
Talachy said the pueblo is following Santa Fe County’s fireworks restrictions, including bans on missile-type rockets, helicopters, aerial spinners, stick-type rockets and “ground audible devices,” according to a
resolution adopted by county commissioners earlier this month.
Use of legal fireworks is “limited to areas that are paved or barren or have a readily accessible source of water,” the resolution states. No fireworks of any kind are allowed in wildland areas.
“We’re trying to be responsible with regards to upholding the restrictions on fireworks,” Talachy said. “We also want to give people the opportunity to buy or sell fireworks or allow these businesses to sell fireworks when it’s appropriate to use them.” Is it appropriate to use them now? “I would say, no, it’s not appropriate right now,” the governor said.
David Sperling, the county’s fire chief, said the resolution was sent to each tribal government in the county. So far, he said, only Pojoaque Pueblo has taken steps to follow county restrictions.
“The Santa Fe County Fire Department appreciates the cooperation of tribal governments in reducing the threat of wildland fires related to fireworks during this period of extreme drought,” he said in an email. “Wildfire is not something that respects jurisdictional boundaries, so actions taken to reduce accidental fires benefits all residents of Santa Fe County.”
The city of Santa Fe, which has similar restrictions as the county, declined to comment on Pojoaque Pueblo’s decision to allow the sale on tribal land of fireworks that are banned within city limits and unincorporated areas.
“We don’t have any comment on policies set by sovereign governments or other neighboring jurisdictions,” city spokesman Matt Ross said in an email.
Ross said the city is asking the public “to leave the fireworks show to the pros and come down to Santa Fe Place” mall for the city’s Fourth of July celebration.
“There’s free parking, free admission for the whole family, and a great lineup of food trucks, and live music starting at 6 p.m.,” he wrote. “It’s far safer to have one central show, run by professionals, with the Fire Department on hand and ready to respond to anything that might go wrong. The alternative is to have hundreds or even thousands of individual fireworks displays spread all around the city, stretching our resources and ability to respond to things that might go wrong.”
Española Mayor Javier Sánchez said in a text message that his city has a resolution in effect that restricts any open flame.
“Anyone coming in to ask if they can sell fireworks is told there are no open flames allowed in the city, so we have not issued permission to any vendor to sell fireworks within the city of Española,” he wrote.
Though a tent to sell fireworks was erected in nearby Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, the business never got off the ground. Pueblo Gov. Peter Garcia Jr. on May 1 imposed a ban on “open burning of any kind and all fireworks,” including the sale of fireworks on tribal land.
Matthew Martinez, the pueblo’s lieutenant governor, said in a statement Tuesday, “In addition, Ohkay Owingeh has halted restoration projects using large commercial trucks entering and working at the bosque because of drought conditions.”
He added, “In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, we will host a controlled fireworks show for the public on the 4th of July at the Ohkay Casino. We have taken the necessary precautions to ensure a safe and family fun event. We are asking the public to respect the current ban in place for the safety and well being of all communities.”
Muldez, the fireworks operator in Pojoaque Pueblo, said it boils down to being responsible.
“There have always been restrictions, and this year is no different,” she said, adding business has been steady despite the restrictions and drought.
“The economy is doing fabulous, and I think the Fourth needs to get back to what it’s all about, and that’s celebrating our freedom,” Muldez said.
For Muldez, that includes the freedom to sell fireworks during a merciless drought.