Fire and water / drought resource guide (updated April 2007)

Resources for responsible living in Santa Fe's arid high desert climate. Updated April 2007.

FIRE ( for water and drought links, scroll down or click here)

If you see smoke in the Santa Fe National Forest, you can call to find out if it is a planned, prescribed burn: 1-877-971-FIRE (3473).

Fire Blog 2006 A blog where readers can post any witnessed fire or smoke conditions. This season's version will launch in ealry May. News stories are found in our Water/Fire section.

http://www.nmfireinfo.com A new ( May 2006) site designed to centralize the latest info and conditions from across the state.

www.inciweb.org has information, photos and video clips of large fires over 100 acres around the nation.

Southwest Coordination Center (Southwest Area Wildland Fire Operations) The principal area wildfire center, coordinating mobilization of firefighting resources, incident information, and predictive analysis.

USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region The regional page of the national forest organization.

Prescribed Fire - Restoring the Landscape Interesting page detailing prescribed burn ideas and techniques.

National Interagency Fire Center A comprehensive nationwide view of wildland fire issues, firefighting techniques, etc.

New Mexico State Forestry Fire Management The fire resource page from the state forestry division.

www.publiclands.org features details on what public lands are still open during fire season.

http://www.wildfirelessons.net/ and http://myfirecommunity.net/ Two great sites. The first , known as the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center, collects and documents experiences from the field to improve fire fighting methods. The second site is an online community site connecting fire prevention professionals; features include a community directory, discussion center, a Learning Opportunities section and a Knowledge Exchange. If you want to know the hows and whys of the pros, these are good resources.

Firewise A non-profit site with educational information for people who live or vacation in fire-prone areas of the United States. Designed to acquaint readers with the challenges of living with wildland fire. Includes extensive resources for homeonwers, a forum, videos, and more.

Wildland Fire Assessment System Provides a national view of weather and fire potential, including national fire danger and weather maps. Quick links include current conditions, forecasts, image and data archives.

NOAA Satellite Fire Detection A satellite map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showing hot spots, plumes, etc. Updated every 15 minutes unless no new data is received.

National Weather Service Fire Weather Page Some good updated data to obtain here, and a direct link to the New Mexico Weather Alert page.

Daily Situation Report (pdf format) A daily government-produced pdf summarizing the latest national activity.

WATER / DROUGHT

Some drought and water conservation other resources. Please use the comment form at the end of this article to send us other useful links, books, organizations, etc.

Troubled Waters A special report from June 2006 on drought and water management along the Rio Grande basin. Features articles, additional links, and video interviews.

City of Santa Fe Waterwise page The city's water conservation page. Includes reports, conservation tips, long-range plan summaries and a section of detailed weekly statistics on area usage and capacity.

New Mexico Drought Task Force A twelve-member task force created by Governor Richardson in 2003 to devise strategies for managing drought. Useful links and data.

U.S. Geological Service, New Mexico Water Page

National Water and Climate Center

Western Regional Climate Center

New Mexico Water Conservation Program

New Mexico
Snow Survey & Water Supply Forecasting Program

Drought Monitor a site from the National Drought Mitigation Center, the Drought Monitor features a synthesis of data and reports from both federal and academic sources.

January 2003 Rio Grande Basin Drought Conference

National Association of Realtors Water Rights and Resource Issues Field Guide

www.nmwaterconnections.org

Conservation of arid land links:

Southwest Strategy A natural resources conservation and management effort by federal, state, tribal and local governments. Current areas of focus are ecosystem health/fire, U.S.-Mexico border, and water.

University of Arizona Office of Arid Lands Studies

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification