The Mountainair Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest administers about 200,000 acres of federal public lands including much of the Manzano Mountains and the Gallinas Mountains. I've had the honor of serving as your Mountainair District Ranger for three years now. This week I thought I'd share and answer some of those questions about the district asked most frequently by folks from the local communities.

The communities surrounding the Mountainair Ranger District reflect the wonderful diversity of New Mexico, including: the Pueblo of Isleta; the Land Grants of Manzano, Torreon, Tajique, Chilili, and Tome; and the railroad, pinto bean, and livestock-shipping towns like Mountainair, Estancia, Willard, and Corona. I find that local folks enjoy the hiking, hunting, and sight-seeing available on these lands as much as tourists do; but, especially because of their long history and occupancy, they are uniquely and closely tied to these mountains and their resources and often have different perspectives and questions.

This is only a start: I'm hoping to hear more questions from you so I can answer them for everyone in the future.

Why are some of the roads closed in winter or even year round?

The reason for winter closures is resource protection… that wonderful clay that is so rugged in the dry season turns to slippery muck when wet. Not only will your truck get stuck, but rutting destroys the road bed (costing many thousands of dollars to repair) and contributes to the degradation of our precious and scarce water resources.

Some roads are closed year-round because we use them only to access specific project areas such as timber sales or wildlife openings. They were built as temporary roads and cannot support frequent or heavy traffic. Overuse of these roads creates the same problems as above.

Some roads are closed permanently or for a long time because some folks don't care about the cost to taxpayers or the damage to the environment, and we don't always have the funds readily-available to fix the rutting and other damage caused by their mud-bogging.

Why are the roads maintained differently?

Roads serve different purposes: those leading to developed recreation sites (campgrounds and trailheads, for example) are usually built and maintained to a standard to allow for passenger vehicles. Other roads are maintained at lower standards from "4-wheel-drive recommended" to "high clearance vehicles only."

These roads generally meander through the mountains and are used mostly for hunting, timber products (firewood, timber), or access for fire suppression and grazing allotments.

Maintaining roads to higher standards than needed costs more for taxpayers, so the Forest Service maintains them to the level necessary for public and administrative access. Those who access private lands via these roads and would like a higher level road than is provided can request a road-use agreement with the Forest Service, if they are willing to pay for the costs.

How do you decide where and when to provide personal-use firewood permits?

The firewood we cut and offer through permits is the byproduct of vegetation management projects. These areas have been analyzed for treatment under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and our crews cut the wood according to the purpose of the project, for example, to thin the forest, to enhance wildlife habitat, or to create fuel breaks. The resulting round wood must be removed to attain the desired condition. This wood is offered for sale to the public through permits for personal (noncommercial) use.

Why is there a limit on cordage?

There is usually more demand than supply for the firewood, so we limit personal use permits to a maximum of 10 cords to ensure fairness in the process. A minimum purchase of 4 cords is required to cover the base permit administration cost.

Those desiring more firewood to sell are encouraged to inquire about our commercial firewood areas.

Why don't you offer firewood permits between December and May?

We limit cutting of timber and firewood during this time to contractor sales only because we can control the size of material and the length of time it is left on site. This is done to inhibit infestations of Ips bark beetle which has decimated many stands of pine and fir in New Mexico and the Southwest. If you would like more information about these beetles and other forest pests, the Ranger Station has loads of information available.

We also try to keep motor vehicle use to a minimum during this time to protect roads and natural resources from rutting and erosion damage.

When will you provide wildings and Christmas tree permits again?

The Ojo Peak Fire burned the areas where we had previously allowed noncommercial gathering of wildings (young trees) and cutting of personal-use Christmas trees. We are looking for new areas where the removal of these products will benefit the forest (for example, enhance a wildlife opening). Once identified, the area or areas will be analyzed under NEPA. It is our hope to offer these items again within the year.

Can we gather red rocks or moss rocks from the district?

We do not offer any areas where rocks can be gathered legally within the district. Most areas where these rocks are found are protected by law as natural or historical treasures and should be left for future generations to discover, study, and enjoy.

How do we go about prospecting for minerals on the district?

The best places to start are these Forest Service Web sites: www.fs.fed.us/geology/mgm_locatable.html and www.fs.fed.us/geology/mgm_minerals.html

If you don't have Internet access, most public libraries have community access computers you can use. You may also send a written request to the address at the end of this article.

Some areas are withdrawn from mineral prospecting because of other use or value (such as campgrounds, communications sites, and historic/cultural sites). The district can provide a list of these withdrawn areas upon request.

I know there are many other questions out there, and I would be glad to receive, research, and answer them for you, either in this forum or in a written response. I can be reached at: PO Box 69, Mountainair, NM 87036; phone (505) 847-2990; fax (505) 847-2238; e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The Ranger Station is located at 40 Ranger Station Road in Mountainair, and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon, and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.