Supporting Sandia Ranger District Since 1997
with a wide choice of volunteer opportunities
About Us
Who We Are
Our History
Trail Construction
Description
Reports and Photos
General Projects
Description
Reports and Photos
More About Us
Our Board of Directors
Our Awards and Recognition
Trail Maintenance
Description
Reports and Photos
Other Activities
Painting and Graffiti Removal
Youth Outreach
If you enjoy the outdoors and would like to give something back, join Friends of the Sandia Mountains!
Notices and Highlights
Everyone
– We love our mountains!
– Sandia Ranger District seeking volunteer recreation stewards
– Forest Service invites comments regarding proposed Sandia Ski Area project
– FOSM briefs Forest Service volunteer program coordinators
– Decision memo signed for North Sandia Fuels Reduction project
– Forest Service announces temporary area closure of Cedro 4 project area for public health and safety
– Forest Service announces closure for thinning work at the Cedro 4 project area
Members
– Join us at May 6 membership meeting
– Welcome our new members
– Paint crew leader needed
– New officers needed in 2026
– Time to report March hours
Click on a link above to go to details below. You may need to scroll back up slightly to see the topic header. Scroll back to top of page to return to this menu after reading a topic.
Weather and Road Conditions
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.
Learn About Trail Construction in Sandia Ranger District at FOSM Membership Meeting
Please join us May 6 to hear Trails Foreman Jen Medina-Gray and Trails and Wilderness Program Manager Canyon Young educate us about trail construction in the Sandia Ranger District (SRD).
Date and Time – May 6, 6:00 PM (Note new starting time)
Location – Sandia Ranger Station conference room
Program abstract – Have you ever wondered how trails are designed and built in the Sandia Ranger District? Join Sandia Ranger District Trails Foreman Jen Medina-Gray on a deep dive into our trail development process. Jen will cover topics such as envisioning a new trail design, how the forest service defines our different trail systems, how we navigate the environmental review process, and how trails are constructed.
Canyon Young, Trails and Wilderness Program Manager, will give a short overview of SRD trails projects for this season after Jen’s presentation.
Speaker bios – Jen Medina-Gray is the Sandia Ranger District Trails Foreman and has been in this position for a little over a year. Hailing originally from Maryland, Jen has been living in Albuquerque for the past 3 years. Jen earned a BFA in Technical Theatre from Syracuse University and has somehow found a way to utilize their theatre rigging and carpentry training in the world of trails for the past 8 years. Jen got their start in trails by participating in the Utah Conservation Corps in 2017, and the rest is history. They have continued to work in trails with various nonprofits, private contractors, and federal agencies ever since.
Canyon Young started his federal career at the Sandia Ranger District as a seasonal, where he did a season of fire and a few seasons of trails. Leaving for a permanent position in 2020, he did a few years with the NRCS in Santa Fe, followed by a year with the BLM in Albuquerque, both as a Rangeland Management Specialist. Since 2018, Canyon has also owned and operated a small forestry contracting business in the East Mountains, implementing thinning for wildfire risk mitigation, as well as hazardous tree removals. As a lifelong Sandia Park resident, he is very excited to be working on his home USFS district again and hopes to put his extensive local knowledge of the Sandias and Manzanitas to good use for SRD. Outside of work, Canyon is an avid trail runner, skier, hunter, and mountain biker.
Please plan to join us on May 6.
Click here to find a information about past and future meetings.
Forest Service Seeking Volunteer Recreation Stewards
April 3, 2025 – Julie Padilla, Sandia Ranger District Recreation Staff Officer, issued the following bulletin:
We are advertising though Volunteer.gov for up to 4 volunteer Recreation Stewards on the Sandia Ranger District to assist this season with recreation duties, such as site cleaning, landscaping, public interaction and light maintenance duties, and are offering free RV camping with full hook ups at the District Office, or limited hook ups at Capulin, Cienega, or Doc Long picnic areas.
We would greatly appreciate assistance in sharing this opportunity out far and wide! If anyone belongs to any social media RV groups, knows of anyone who might be interested or has any other ideas for sharing, please do.
Forest Service Invites Participation in Scoping Process for Sandia Peak Ski Area Project
March 31, 2025 – The USDA Forest Service, Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands invites participation in the scoping process for a project proposed at the Sandia Peak Ski Area.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the purpose of scoping is to identify significant environmental issues deserving of study and to determine which issues can be deemphasized to narrow the scope of the analysis. Unless extraordinary circumstances are
identified, the project is proposed to be categorically excluded from further analysis and documentation in an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) or Environmental Assessment (EA).
The Forest Service would like to consider comments or concerns before making a decision and affirming the use of the categorical exclusion summarized above.
Sandia Peak Ski Area is proposing to completely replace Lift 1. The replacement will include removal of the top and bottom terminals, as well as the building housing the bottom terminal.
The existing pedestrian walkway/stairs at the top terminal would be replaced with a modernized pedestrian bridge that is ADA-compliant and connects to the proposed top terminal. An approximately 3,800 square foot cabin storage building is proposed and would be immediately adjacent the bottom terminal disturbance area.
The project will also include the removal and replacement of all existing chairlift towers along the existing Lift 1 route. Larger tower footings would also need to be installed but would cumulatively total about 0.1 acres of disturbance. Total ground disturbance encompassing of the ancillary facilities, and lift corridor itself would be 8.7 acres. The new chairlift will be a Telemix system and will be capable of running both traditional ski lift chairs and enclosed gondolas.
FOSM Briefs Forest Service Volunteer Program Coordinators
FOSM was honored to be invited to brief the 3rd annual meeting of Forest Service volunteer program coordinators as a model friends organization. Mike Madden, Sam Beard, and Lou Romero presented the adjacent 15-slide overview of FOSM during a nationwide virtual meeting on January 30. Among the 30 participants were Sandia District Ranger Ken Born and Recreation Staff Officer Julie Padilla. Ken made the following observations afterwards:
Awesome job today, gentleman! We greatly appreciate you carving out time to share your experiences and know-how with the national volunteer group. This kind of information sharing and engagement is so helpful for other forests and national program managers to be part of – and makes me really proud to call FOSM our partner.
Thanks again for all you do in service to the public and the Sandia mountains.
Forest Service Signs Decision Memo 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]
Forest Service Announces Temporary Area Closure of Cedro 4 Project Area for Public Health and Safety
Albuquerque, NM, February 3, 2025 – The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands (NF&NGs) has issued an area closure order (03-03-05-25-03) for the Cedro 4 Project Area east of Forest Road 462 and southeast of Forest Road 12 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 February 10th, 2025, at 0600 through May 31st, 2025 at 0600, unless rescinded.
The purpose of this Order is for the protection of public health and safety during mechanized thinning work as specifically shown attached map.
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!
John Braly* – April 11
Bill Perkins – March 31
Ira (Bud) Bickford – March 19
Noel Wagner – March 15
Craig Tucker – March 11
Roger Squires – March 11
Richard Fagioli – March 3
Jim Houle – March 3
John McNett – March 2
Carolyn Grady – March 2
Brandon Sanchez – February 26
John Samuli – January 26
Caleb Kirby-Meyer – January 23
Mimi Junick* – January 5
Scott Nicolaysen – December 26
Karen Thorn – October 15
Glen Clement – October 15
Peter Rhyins – October 4
*Life sponsor
Volunteer Opportunities
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.
Vice President – Cliff Giles has announced that he will not seek reelection after 5 years as FOSM vice president. Please let a member of the board of directors know if you are interested in assuming this position in October.
Treasurer – Jeff Young has announced that he will not seek reelection after his current term as FOSM treasurer. Please let a member of the board of directors know if you are interested in assuming this position in October.
Time to Report Volunteer Hours for March
Expect a monthly call for hours going forward during Forest Service fiscal year 2025 (October-September).
*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.
