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.

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:
brittany.lewellen@usda.gov

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – November 16, 2024 – Fire crews for the Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (NF & NG) have successfully completed a total of 12 acres of pile burning with yesterday and today’s prescribe fire (Rx) ignitions within the 34 acres of the previously announced Sulphur Rx Fire Piles on the Sandia Ranger District. Fire personnel will continue to monitor the Sulphur Rx Fire Piles as a winter weather system is expected to come into the area tomorrow afternoon.

If in the coming weeks the Sulphur area receives more precipitation for additional snow cover creating optimal conditions for burning piled slash and woody debris from previous restoration work, fire managers may announce the possible continuation of ignitions on the remaining acres of the Sulphur Rx Fire Pile area.

The Sulphur Rx fire pile burn area is in the Sandia east mountains, north of I-40, west of NM-14 and south of NM-536. See map attached. Residual smoke may be visible in the surrounding areas of Albuquerque, Tijeras, Edgewood and Moriarty, NM.

The Cibola NF & NGs manages all prescribed fires in compliance with New Mexico state air quality and smoke management regulations. Information on air quality and protecting your health can be found online at the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) website.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — November 8, 2024 — Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands fire crews are preparing to implement prescribed fire as early as November 13th on 34 acres of piles within the previously announced Sulphur unit of the Sandia Rx Fire Plan.

Fire managers are taking advantage of recent precipitation, snow covered ground, cooler temperatures, and relative humidity recoveries that creates suitable conditions for burning piled slash and woody debris from earlier forest restoration work.

The Sulphur pile burn area is in the Sandia east mountains, north of 1-40, west of NM-14 and south of NM-536. See map aftached. Smoke may be visible in the surrounding areas of Albuquerque, Tijeras, Edgewood and Moriarty, NM.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – November 1, 2024—Today, weather conditions remained favorable to successfully complete ignitions on the Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (NF & NG) Tablazon prescribed fire (Rx) on the Sandia Ranger District. Crews continued with ground ignitions to blackline fuels along control lines and burning of interior pockets of 107 acres on units 4 & 5. With yesterday and today’s operations, fire managers completed the 189 acres of prescribed fire operations on the Tablazon Project area.

With ignitions complete on the Tablazon prescribed fire project, fire crews will transition to a patrol and monitor plan until the fire is called out.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM —October 22, 2024—Pending favorable conditions, fire managers on the Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (NF & NGs) may implement the previously announced Tablazon prescribed fire (RX) on the Sandia Ranger District as early as Tuesday, October 29, 2024.

Fire crews plan to burn approximately 207 acres, split into several different units in the Tablazon Canyon area, in the Manzanita Mountains. Tablazon is located south of HWY 333, south of Lower Pine trailhead and east of FSRD 462. Map attached. Visitors may be impacted by the Cedro, Bear Scat, Lower Pine, Tablazon and Coyote trails system. Smoke may be visible in the surrounding areas of Tijeras, Edgewood, Moriarty and Albuquerque.

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.

Welcome, New FOSM Members!

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
Lisa Blackford – July 14
Jeff and Jan Kokos – June 4
Neil Alessio – May 30
Tim Kirkpatrick – May 7

*Life sponsor

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 October

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 the time period September 16 thru October 31, 2024.

*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.

Guidelines for reporting hours can be found here.