Notices and Highlights

Everyone
– FOSM helps extend Acequia Trail
– Forest Service announces tussock moth outbreak
– Forest Service names new Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands Forest Supervisor
– KOB-TV features graffiti removal by FOSM
– FOSM mentors Talking Talons Youth Leadership members
– Check out new webpages for La Luz Trail safety improvements, Adopt-a-Highway projects, saw certifications, and signage and maps

Members
– Learn about New Mexico Forestry Division at our August 6 Membership Meeting
– Congratulations to newly certified sawyers
– Leader needed for paint crew
– Welcome our new members

See below for details.

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

Learn about NM Forestry Division at our August 6 Membership Meeting

Please plan to join us on August 6 to hear District Forester Lawrence Crane tell us about the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department Forestry Division and its Bernalillo District.

Date and Time – August 6, 7:00 PM

Location – Sandia Ranger Station conference room

Program abstract – The Bernalillo District serves eight of the state’s counties: Cibola, McKinley, Valencia, Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, Los Alamos and Santa Fe. Located in west-central New Mexico, the Bernalillo District totals 6.6 million acres. This consists of 160,000 acres of commercial forest, 1.54 million acres of piñon-juniper and bosque woodland, and 4.9 million acres of non-forest watershed. The district office is located off Highway 550 on Santa Fe Hills Blvd., approximately two miles north of the intersection at State Road 528 that goes through Rio Rancho.

Each year district staff assist hundreds of landowners and fire departments by providing field visits, written management plans, and partnership of forest conservation practices. These practices include thinning and tree planting projects, workshops on forest and watershed health, and fire training. Staff also review commercial harvesting on private lands to assure compliance with state harvesting regulations. More than 200 wildland fires occur annually on state and private lands within the district.

Speaker bio – Lawrence Crane is the District Forester for the Bernalillo District. Lawrence has been with the Forestry Division since 2003, including working as the district’s Special Projects Forester for many years. In the District Forester role, he oversees multiple programs including fire, timber, stewardship, wildland-urban interface, and special projects. Lawrence also conducts environmental outreach efforts and leads mapping projects. and acts as the primary Line Officer and agency administrator for large fire incidents on all non-municipal non-federal lands within the Bernalillo District boundaries. Lawrence has worked for the Forest Service on the Bridger Teton National Forest, Duke City Lumber Company, and Rio Grande Forest Products. He is a 1984 graduate of Northern Arizona University with a degree in Forestry. Lawrence loves to build with Lego, woodworking, and anything he can do with his family.

We look forward to seeing you on the 6th.

View slides from the July 2 meeting and learn about past and upcoming membership meetings here.

FOSM Helps Forest Service Extend Acequia Trail

July 18, 2024 – Canyon Young, Sandia Ranger District Trails and Wilderness Program Manager, sent the following message:

Hey there, FOSM Volunteers,

As of last week, the extension of the Acequia Trail in Cienega Canyon is now complete and open to the public! We had a variety of folks involved with this one, including some help from a Talking Talons youth crew, the Albuquerque Mountain Bike Association, and USFS employees from the Albuquerque Service Center, and, as usual, a lot of help from the FOSM Thursday crew.

For those unfamiliar with this project: Formerly, the Acequia Trail paralleled the lower half of the Cienega Canyon access road, but ended at the beginning of the wheelchair-accessible, paved Cienega Canyon interpretive trail. This forced trail users to either use the interpretive path or dump out onto the road to connect with the Cienega Trail further up the canyon, neither of which was ideal. By having the trail cross the road and extending it up to connect with the Cienega Trail just above the Cienega Trailhead, this will keep trail users off the road and the interpretive path, allowing for increased capacity, decreased intra-user group conflict, and better overall traffic flow in one of the Sandia Ranger District’s most heavily used developed recreation sites. I might also add that the upper part of the newly constructed trail extension meanders through a tunnel-like section of large maples and oaks that is extra shady and quite beautiful – I’d highly recommend it for your next outing.

Another shoutout to the FOSM paint crew for adding a painted crosswalk on the Cienega access road where the Acequia Trail now crosses it, to aid in letting motorists know to be on the lookout for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians about to cross!

Many thanks to those of you who donated your time to this project – we appreciate your involvement in our long-term vision of building the Sandia Ranger District’s trail system into something that can sustainably handle the heavy, multi-use recreational demands of the ever-growing Albuquerque metro area!

Click any image to enlarge.

Tussock Moth Outbreak Resulting in Tree Defoliation

Albuquerque, NM, July 15, 2024 – If you are viewing brownish-red discoloration of trees on the eastern slopes of the Sandia Mountains primarily south of the Crest Hwy. (NM-536), it may be the result of defoliation from the Douglas-fir tussock moth. The defoliation occurs within mixed conifer stands affecting Douglas-fir and white fir trees.

To the casual observer, the affected trees may appear to be dying, but those brown branches signal the outbreak of the Douglas-fir tussock moth, a native defoliator whose larvae (i.e., caterpillars) feed on the foliage of a variety of trees species. The caterpillar feeds on the previous year’s needles often resulting in defoliation, which weakens affected trees and may be followed by subsequent attacks by bark beetles that may kill the tops or entire trees.

Douglas-Fir tussock moth is experiencing a rise in population on the Sandia Ranger District. The caterpillars have thousands of tiny hairs covering their bodies. The female moths, egg masses, and cocoons also have hairs, which can cause tussockosis, an allergic reaction from direct skin contact with the insects themselves or their airborne hairs. Symptoms may include itchiness, skin rashes, skin irritation, watery eyes, runny nose, and sneezing. More severe reactions, though less common, include blisters, coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, and chest tightness. Tussockosis severity may vary between individuals, by the amount of exposure, and the level of the outbreak. Everyone should avoid touching or handling this insect, in any of its forms! If contact does occur, immediately wash the area of exposure. If symptoms become severe or problematic, immediately seek medical care.

Heidi McRoberts Named Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands Forest Supervisor

Albuquerque, NM – July 9, 2024 – The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands (NF & NGs) is excited to welcome Heidi McRoberts as Forest Supervisor. McRoberts replaces Steven Hattenbach who serves as Deputy Regional Forester for the Southwestern Region.

Official headshot of Heidi McRobertsMcRoberts comes to the Cibola from the position of Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Kootenai National Forest in northwest Montana and northeast Idaho. She provided leadership and was responsible for all aspects of managing the forest’s vast resources of 2.2 million acres of National Forest System Lands. Her prior land management experiences were on the Umatilla National Forest in Pendleton, Oregon and the Nez-Perce Clearwater National Forests in Idaho. McRoberts spent 22 years working for the Nez Perce Tribe, including 10 years as the Deputy Director for the Department of Fisheries Resource Management/Watershed Division. McRoberts holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Dubuque in Iowa, a master’s degree in Fisheries Resources and PhD in Natural Resources, both from the University of Idaho.

Congratulations to Four Newly Certified Chainsaw Sawyers

July 3, 2024 – FOSM President Mike Madden said in an email to all FOSM members: “Congratulations to the following 4 newly certified chainsaw folk: Sim Cook, Jamey Browning, Ken Wilson, Tim Kirkpatrick.”

You can read about the rigorous Forest Service certification process and see a full list of FOSM certified chainsaw and crosscut-saw sawyers 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.

Welcome, New FOSM Members!

*Life sponsor