Notices and Highlights
Everyone
– We love our mountains!
– Snow on the way
– La Niña adversely affecting snowpack
– Historical project reports and photographs available
– Decision memo signed for North Sandia Fuels Reduction project
– Registration open for 21st Sandia Snowshoe Classic 2025
– Forest Service announces closure for thinning work at the Cedro 4 project area
Member Messages
– Welcome our new members
– Paint crew leader needed
– Time to report November hours
– Time to renew membership
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Supporting Sandia Ranger District Since 1997
Volunteer Opportunities
Awards and Recognition
History, Strategic Plan, and Board of Directors
We Love Our Mountains*
Whether you are a hiker, mountain biker, cross-country skier, trail runner, or you just enjoy being in the Sandias, you know that our mountains are one of nature’s special gifts.
Have you ever wondered what you could do to help protect our mountains? Do you want to learn more about the animals and plants you find there? Do you like to meet people who share your concern for the Sandia and Manzanita Mountains?
Welcome! Please explore our website to learn more about the goals and many activities of the Friends of the Sandia Mountains (FOSM). We likely have volunteer opportunities that match your interests and abilities.
*Technically, it’s Sandia Mountain (singular), but we often use the plural to recognize the existence of northern and southern peaks.
New to Albuquerque or just new to the Sandias? Explore the many recreational opportunities our mountains offer. Please carefully read the Safety section.
Please check out our La Luz Trail webpage if you are planning to hike this iconic but too often dangerous trail.
An easy way to get involved is to join Cibola Trail Rangers, an email group consisting of hikers, bikers, XC skiers, horsemen, etc., who frequent the trails in the Sandia Ranger District and are interested in exchanging information on trail conditions on both an immediate and continuing basis. The group includes FOSM members trained to correct reported problems.
Please report corrective actions as well as problems so the FOSM trail maintenance crew doesn’t hike to fix a problem that no longer exists.
Take the Tram to the Top⏤an Unforgettable Experience!
Sandia Peak Tramway makes the top of the mountain easily accessible and one-way hikes of La Luz Trail possible, but be sure to check their website before starting your journey.
Weather and Road Conditions
Snow on the Way (finally)!
January 6, 2025 – Kerry Jones reports:
TL;DR: Model consensus supports 2-5″ snowfall totals near/above 7,500 ft in the Sandias tomorrow through Thursday morning with locally higher totals in the Manzanos and areas along South 14. In the East Mountains below 7,500 ft generally expecting 2-3″ or less. We’ll have flurries in the air beginning later tonight and Tuesday morning, but light snow doesn’t really expand until Tuesday late afternoon/evening through early Wednesday morning, and then again Wednesday night or Thursday morning. These appear to be the “key” periods for any impacts. Substantially colder tomorrow, a little colder still on Wednesday (daytime highs below freezing) and remaining 10-20 degrees below normal for Thursday and Friday.
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The bitter cold that has been impacting the nation’s mid-section (along with ice and snow) will begin arriving later this evening. For those who commute or reside on the west side of the mountains, strong, gusty east canyon winds (e.g. Tijeras Canyon) will signal the arrival of the cold air and also the snow hole! It will be a major change for the rest of the week. Unfortunately, the pattern is not likely to bring widespread, significant snow (>6″) to the East Mountains but it will be our first measurable precip since November 26-27. It’s one of those scenarios where we get the cold air and favorable upslope (east to west wind) but moisture availability is so-so and, more critically, the parent low pressure system is tracking entirely too far west and south to provide us much benefit. My only hope is that a secondary piece of energy that models show dropping down the backside of the system will give us a boost for a brief period Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
That being said, cold, upslope flow alone is usually good for light snow accumulations in the East Mountains particularly when it peaks in strength– for us that will be Tuesday evening/night into the early morning hours Wednesday. There will be another period Wednesday night or Thursday morning when the backside of the low pressure system passes to our south and we hopefully get one last gasp of light snow.
Enjoy the change and stay safe on the roads in the coming days. We might have a couple more opportunities for snow early next week and just beyond!
La Niña Adversely Affecting Snowpack
December 31, 2024 – Our favorite weatherman Kerry Jones reports: An incredibly dry December as everyone has experienced/seen. Growing signals in the long range models that our beloved Sandias may get some light snow during a couple different windows early next week but, unfortunately, nothing that looks significant. The emerging La Niña pattern has taken hold. Wanted to share some comparison photos taken one year apart.
Click to enlarge any image.
New Webpages Provide Access to Historical Project Reports and Photographs
Project leader reports and associated photographs from 2018 through 2024 are available on new webpages:
Trail maintenance – 206 reports and 1,958 images.
Painting and graffiti-removal – 116 reports and 347 images.
General projects – 266 reports and 2,710 images.
Trail construction – 211 reports and 2,523 images.
Decision Memo Signed for North Sandia Fuels Reduction Project
November 13, 2024 – The Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands is announcing the signing of a Decision Memo for the North Sandia Fuels Reduction Project, a significant step towards mitigating wildfire risk in the area. The project will restore, maintain, and improve forested conditions on approximately 2,965 acres on the Sandia Ranger District, Sandoval and Bernalillo Counties, Sandia Mountains, north of I-40 (see attached map for project area and treatment types that may be used).
Objectives for the North Sandia Fuels Reduction Project include reducing the impacts of high severity fire, reducing wildfire risk to communities within the wildland urban interface (WUI), and restoring forest structure and composition within the planning area.
The Forest Service thanks the public for their input and active engagement in the development of this project and looks forward to continued engagement and collaboration throughout implementation.
Individuals who commented on this project will be notified directly regarding the signing of the decision memo.
To view the categorical exclusion and signed decision memo along with other helpful documents and information, please visit the project website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/cibola/?project=65654
Print copies of the final documents will be available for viewing at the Sandia Ranger District office at 11776 Hwy. 337 Tijeras, NM 87059 and the Cibola National Forest & Grasslands Supervisor’s Office at 2113 Osuna Rd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87113. Copies of the documents will also be available for viewing at the Placitas Community Library.
For additional information, please contact:
[email protected]
Registration Open for the 21st Sandia Snowshoe Classic 2025!
“Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!” Our mountain is covered in fresh powder. It’s not too early to make plans for the 21st Sandia Snowshoe Classic to be held on January 18, 2025.
More details are available here.
Forest Service Announces Area Closure for Thinning Work at the Cedro 4 Project Area – North of Forest Road 462
Albuquerque, NM, September 27, 2024 – The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands (NF&NGs) has issued an area closure order (Order 03-03-05-24-13) for the Cedro 4 Project Area north of Forest Road 462 on the Sandia Ranger District of the Cibola NF&NGs, described below and shown on the attached map.
This Order shall be in effect from October 7, 2024, at 0600 through May 3, 2025 at 0600, unless rescinded.
The purpose of this Order is for the protection of public health and safety during mechanized thinning work in the Cedro 4 project area north of Forest Road 462 as shown on attached map.
Member Messages
Welcome, New FOSM Members!
Mimi Junick* – January 5
Scott Nicolaysen – December 26
Karen Thorn – October 15
Glen Clement – October 15
Peter Rhyins – October 4
Scott Christenson – September 3
Janet Simon and Mark Weber – September 2
Eric Messerschmidt – August 16
Chuck Logan – August 12
Courtney and Svetlana Conte – August 12
Tom Spross – July 20
James Epps* – July 18
*Life sponsor
Time to Renew Membership
Sally Lowder sent the following message on January 2 – …for those needing to renew your memberships, please do so now. All memberships typically expire at the end of each year.
You can renew here.
Volunteer Opportunity – Paint Crew Leader
Thanks, Anne Hickman for your years of faithful service as leader of the paint crew. Anne has stepped down due to other commitments. Please use the form on the referenced pages if you would be interested in assuming this leadership position.
Time to Report Volunteer Hours for December
We are starting a new Forest Service fiscal year, FY2025. Expect a monthly call for hours going forward. This is a call for your individual volunteer hours for November.
*The weekly crew leaders (Bob, Sam, Laura) have already provided their crew’s hours by individual into our FY2025 FOSM hours tracker, so if you signed an attendance sheet, your hours are already covered.
*Basically, report any and all individual time spent in a FOSM activity which pertains to the District.
Additional guidelines for reporting hours can be found here.
