The Sandia Ranger District on the Cibola National Forest is a local treasure rich in natural resources and exceptional beauty. It includes multiple cultural and historic settings and recreation sites valued by many communities in the Albuquerque region.  But the Sandia Mountains are threatened by overuse, wildfires, watershed degradation and under-resourced federal management agencies. We need to do a better job caring for this place we all love.

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The Sandia Collaborative has identified an opportunity to better steward the Sandias by working with the Cibola National Forest Service on their La Madera Project. The US Forest Service will soon launch an effort to gather information from stakeholders on how to improve conditions in the section of Sandia Ranger District north of I-40. The area for the La Madera Project stretches from the Crest of Montezuma in its northeast corner to Tres Pistolas Canyon in the south, and reaches back up to the Las Huertas Creek watershed in the north.

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The US Forest Service Sandia Ranger District office covers this region and is in the early stages of defining government rules and policies on how this area will be managed.

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The Sandia Collaborative is working on an independent but parallel effort to identify ways to improve how the forest is used, how wildlife and vegetation can be protected, and how to reduce wildfire risk in the area. To succeed, we need your help and input.

 

The Sandia Collaborative is working together to identify our common objectives and desired actions and reach a consensus on recommendations for the Sandia Ranger District. Come join us. The recommendations will be shared with the Forest Service to inform their plan for the La Madera Project.

 

To learn more about the La Madera Project sign up to receive updates and attend our (on-line) meetings.  By working together, we can help the US Forest Service develop projects for the Sandia Mountains that meet all of our needs while protecting this vital resource.