Sale of fireworks halted in Pojoaque

In an about-face, Pojoaque Pueblo on Thursday yielded to concerns about high fire danger and shut down fireworks sales on tribal land.

The decision to pull the plug on vendors selling from tents at the pueblo north of Santa Fe, which is sovereign land and exempt from Santa Fe County ordinances, came two days after The

New Mexican reported that the pueblo was allowing sales of many types of fireworks that are prohibited in surrounding communities.

“In years past, the Pueblo has allowed fireworks sales for the responsible enjoyment of our visitors, neighbors and community,” Pojoaque Pueblo Gov. Joseph Talachy said in a statement. “This year, the Pueblo of Pojoaque has listened to the concerns of all residents regarding the sale of fireworks and given the current drought conditions, we have decided to ask the vendors to work with us to [cease] sales of fireworks for this 4th of July Holiday.”

He called it “the first time in many, many years” that the pueblo has taken

such action, and credited positive dialog with Santa Fe County Commissioner Henry Roybal and “our mutual interest in uniting our community.”

While Talachy said in a telephone interview that cutting off fireworks sales would mean a small financial loss to the pueblo, his emailed statement said, “We hope that this displays our commitment to the health, safety, welfare and wellbeing of the entire valley, county and state.”

Roybal, whose district includes the northern part of the county, said he appreciated the pueblo’s decision, which a county spokeswoman said was the result of “much discussion” between Roybal and Talachy and “after hearing the many concerns of all residents.”

“This action of Governor Talachy on behalf of the Pueblo of Pojoaque truly shows the Pueblo is dedicated to reducing the threat of wildland fires related to fireworks during this period of extreme drought,” Roybal said in a statement.

The story about the pueblo allowing two fireworks tents on tribal land had sparked an online backlash.

“They CAN do what they want, but we are not required to stay silent about it or like it,” Heather Nordquist wrote on santafenewmexican.com. “I mean, when is there a limit to what we will simply accept or ignore. Can they harm our environment or put peoples’ lives at risk and we just shrug and say ‘sovereignty’?”

Earlier this week, Talachy had defended the fireworks trade, saying the pueblo expected people to be responsible about using the products. He compared the sale of fireworks to the sale of liquor.

“We have liquor establishments, but we don’t expect people to drink and drive,” he said.

But Thursday, Talachy said the drought and severe fire danger made him reconsider.

“I think the optics of it are just a little awkward,” he said. “We looked at the contract [between the pueblo and the fireworks vendor] and said, ‘Is this a burden that we’re willing to bear?’ So we did. I went ahead and said, ‘Well, shut them down.’ ”

Talachy declined to say how much money the pueblo lost by kicking out the vendor. But he said he didn’t want to put the pueblo in a “bad position,” which is why he requested the pueblo’s legal team review the contract with the vendor.

“We decided to … push the vendors off to next year — God willing the conditions are better,” he said.

The vendor, Valerie Muldez, did not return a message seeking comment. On Tuesday, Muldez said she and her husband have operated fireworks tents for 15 years. She said business was steady despite the fireworks bans and fire danger.

“It’s always a good time to celebrate your freedom,” she said.

Not all fireworks are prohibited in the city or county of Santa Fe. The city, for example, allows the sale and use of what the fire department calls “safe and sane fireworks,” such as sparklers, smoke devices and cylindrical fountains less than 75 grams in weight.

“Anybody selling fireworks in the city limits has gone through the fire marshal for approval to sell those items and has shown an example of each item that they’re selling and has had it signed off on,” said city spokesman Matt Ross. “What folks can do if they suspect that there’s a violation [at a business selling fireworks] is to give the fire marshal’s office a call.”

Before ending fireworks sales at Pojoaque Pueblo, Talachy said he had been hoping for “a sprinkle or two” to ease the fire danger that has led to the closing of nearby national forests.

“But I woke up this morning,” he said. “I saw that there was going to be wind, saw that we don’t have any rain coming in the near future.”

Santa Fe County fire Chief David Sperling said in a statement that “Wild fire does not respect jurisdictional boundaries, so actions taken to reduce accidental fires benefits all residents of Santa Fe County. We encourage residents to enjoy a public firework display.”

In Santa Fe, a free Fourth of July celebration that includes fireworks will begin at 6 p.m. at the Santa Fe Place mall.

“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,” Ross said this week. “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.”