Wildfire 14 miles from Taos Pueblo tribal lands
As the busy Memorial Day Weekend gets underway in Taos County — complete with a large motorcycle rally planned for Red River — anxiety is ramping up for firefighters and community leaders hoping their efforts to hold off the northern edge of the Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire will not be in vain. That goes for the Taos Pueblo War Chief’s office as well.
By Wednesday (May 25), the fire’s northern boundary was 14 miles from Taos Pueblo lands “as the crow flies,” according to War Chief Secretary Jeremy Lujan. Although the previous few days have seen welcome rain and even some snow in the higher peaks,
which lowered temperatures, Lujan said it had minimal impact on the fire. The good news is that forest officials have said the state’s largest fire is at 41 percent containment, and its growth has slowed somewhat.
In addition, the Carson National Forest in Taos County imposed Stage 3 Fire Restrictions on May 19 and has closed the forest to the public. This means there will be no entry into the forest area, no hiking, biking, camping, no motorized vehicles and no fires, according to a forest service announcement. Lujan said the same has been imposed on tribal lands along with regular patrols sent out to deal with enforcement.
The Taos Pueblo War Chief’s Office is charged with overseeing tribal land and its resources. It is a leadership body that has existed since before colonization.
In 2021, Lujan said a memo of understanding was signed with the Carson National Forest, which has led to regular meetings with staff. After the Calf Canyon–Hermits Peak Fire broke out, this has included talks with forest supervisor James Duran since May 9. Taos Pueblo has also been included in daily briefings on the fire.
One of the subjects of discussion has been the possibility of the fire making a northward push toward Taos Canyon and US 64 East, an area of dense timber between Angel Fire and along Palo Flechado Pass. North of that area is Taos Pueblo land. Lujan said they are “looking at the availability to provide a firebreak between Taos Pueblo land and Carson National Forest.” He added that if the fire moves farther north, the Bureau of Indian Affairs would enter the picture as support for Taos Pueblo by “implementing a response plan.”
Although the recent weather did help somewhat, the next few days over the holiday weekend will likely see sunny days, higher temperatures and some windy conditions, “which really doesn’t look good for us,” Lujan said.
With the motorcycle rally coming up, he said it is unlikely any effort to deter visitors from using the Enchanted Circle roadways, which include US 64 East, might have any effect as this event has been planned for many months. “Our wish here is to mitigate the traffic situation up along Taos Canyon where the (fire) prevention work is being conducted on the break between Taos and Colfax Counties.”
For daily updates on the Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire, visit facebook.com/hashtag/hermitspeakfire.