Capilla, New Canyon & Tajique Campgrounds CLOSED

Mountainair, NM – July 31, 2009: The Mountainair Ranger District would like to remind all visitors that although many roads have been reopened throughout the district,

Forest Road #245 from New Canyon Campground to Capilla Peak continues to be closed. This is due to the high volume of burned hazard trees remaining along the road. Crews have been and continue to work on cutting these trees; however they pose a serious threat to any traffic on the road. This includes foot traffic.

Along with the continued closure of Forest Road #245, New Canyon and Capilla Campgrounds are also closed due to the hazard trees as well as the possibility of flash flooding through the New Canyon Campground.

Tajique Campground on the North end of the district also continues to be closed due to the possibility of flash flooding. With the forest reopening, we are seeing many hikers within these areas. Hikers are asked to use the adjacent trail (New Canyon Trail) to access this portion of the forest, but no camping is allowed in Capilla or New Canyon campgrounds.

According to District Ranger Karen Lessard, "These areas continue to be post-fire work zones so we ask that visitors stay away from these areas for your own safety as well as the safety of our crews.”

The Mountainair Ranger District has also received a high volume of calls regarding the availability of fire wood cutting areas. We currently have 3 wood cutting areas open, however all permits have been sold for these areas. Our crews are working diligently to open another area soon. To find out the availability of permits, please call the Mountainair Ranger District at 505-847-2990 before visiting to buy a permit.

Thanks - Arlene Perea
P. O. Box 69
Mountainair, NM 87036
Office 505.847.2990
Fax 505.847.2238

Sunday August 2, Gymkhana Rodeo

Come to the Mountainair Gymkhana Rodeo this Sunday,, all day @ rodeo grounds off Hwy 55 South. Concessions available on grounds.

Produced by the Mountainair Rodeo Committee. Contact Red Kingston, 505-847-2708; Denise Smythe, Secretary, 505-384-6044. This is the last MGR event of 2009, although there are still a few more NMJRA events.

Watch for final MGR results, year end awards, updates on other local rider successes - plus plans for 2010

Visit King's Kourt, Photography and Tamra Hays' Mountainair Rodeo set on her Flickr photostream to see pictures from past events.

Saturday, July 25 in Mountainair

NYI (Nazarene Youth International, Mountainair chapter meets 6 pm every Sunday) community activities @ Mountainair Community Park on Cedar:

• volleyball, 1 pm
• Eddie B concert, 7 pm
  

iCreate/SEEDS Community Garden workday (3-5 pm @ Mojave Rose) and iCreate meeting (Ancient Cities following workday)

Shaffer Hotel presents Horse & Pony Rides, 12n-6pm, large round pen behind Shaffer on 3rd street

Horseback riding in scenic Manzanos: Trail Rides by Padilla Ranch, Abó, five miles west of Mountainair, US 60. Call 505-847-0941. Mobile : 505-506-4529.

Salinas Pueblo Missions: today featuring Voices in the Wind, a trail talk at Gran Quivira by a National Park Service ranger at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Learn about 800 years of life at that largest pueblo site, 25 miles south of Mountainair.

*Shop Local! Sales & Specials: major markdowns on books, apparel, posters, gifts & more at Salinas Visitors Center; Abo Trading Clearance Sale; Uncle Walters - where the unexpected is always to be expected; B Street Market weekly specials

Not Mountainair but also of interest:

• Corona Days
• Tijeras Open Air Market
• Poetry Workshops
• Sunset Lecture, UNM
  

* Coming soon - Mountainair Online Shop Local page - watch for it. To be announced here & on Mountainair Arts

Corona Days, July 24-25

Corona Days will feature the Van of Enchantment & the first KXNM broadcast at 88.7 FM!
Hosted by:	Van of Enchantment
Type:	Education - Workshop
Where:	Corona, NM
When:	Friday, July 24 at 1:00 pm until Saturday, July 25 at 4:00 pm

Vanna's theme: A History of Travel in New Mexico

Corona Parade To Be Broadcast

A parade for Corona Days on July 24 at 10 a.m. will give Torrance County residents their first opportunity to hear KXNM broadcast over the airwaves at 88.7 FM.

Members of the KXNM Community Foundation are using a low-power broadcast during the parade as a way to draw attention to the station. Efforts to establish a community-based public radio station for Torrance County have been in the works for two years.

The radio foundation plans to do the same for other high-profile events in the county like Moriarty's Pinto Bean Fiesta, Punkin Chunkin in Estancia and Sunflower Festival in Mountainair.

Contact the Corona Village Hall at (575) 849-5511 or e-mail villageofcorona@plateautel.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to learn more about Corona Days.

Corona - maps, images, information

July 25, Star Party

At New Mexico Central, John Weckerle writes:

Look! It's Bird! It's A Plane! No, It's A Nebula! July 25 Star Party, Oak Flat (9 miles south of Tijeras, see below)

To learn more about Albuquerque Astronomical Society Star Parties, read the New Mexico Central May 27, 2009 article

The Oak Flat Picnic Ground is about a mile east off NM337 on Oak Flat Rd. Download map to location. For more information, call Bruce Levin at 505-286-1387.

Blogged via AddThis

Wanted: Heroes

Heroes Wanted - EMT Basic classes forming in Mountainair. Learn basic skills that could save a life.

The Star of Life,
a global symbol of emergency medical service

This is a 16 week course and will be on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5:30 - 9:30. Beginning course date TBA. Current cost is $500 but will go down if more people sign up.

For more details, call:

Gayle Jones
505-705-5238
505-847-2491

or Sam Blackshear
505-847-2316

July 25, Teen Fest, Estancia

Spread the word about the Teen Outreach Program’s “TEEN FEST” to be held in Estancia on July 25th at the Estancia Park ~ click image below to view larger version of flyer.

• Music & Art
• Guitar Hero Competition
• Battle of the Bands

Call 384-1092 or come by Estancia Town Hall for more information. The Estancia Teens Need Teens (TNT) group will also be holding a car wash/ fund raiser.

July 21, Town Council Meeting

Tuesday July 21 is the third Tuesday of the month. Come to Mountainair Dr SaulCommunity Center, Roosevelt (next to City Hall) at 6:30 pm. Agenda available at City Hall, Post Office, B St Market and posted at various locations about town. Phone: (505) 847-2321. Fax: (505) 847-2589. Email mayor@mountainairnm.gov or townclerk@mountainairnm.gov.

AVAILABLE ONLINE: Agendas and Minutes for past Town Council meetings; dates for 2009 Town Council meetings.

August 1-2, Estancia Valley Relay for Life

click to view or print larger version

This year’s Estancia Valley Relay For Life to benefit the American Cancer Society will be August 1st through August 2nd, 2009, 12noon to 12noon. American Cancer Society is a 501C3 organization. All donations are tax deductible.

Contact information:

Margarita Hibbs, Event Chair, email MargaritaHibbs@msn.com
505-384-6015, Cell: 505-705-5253
Event Co-Chair: Robin Foshee 505-948-6963; Team Development Chair: Brenda Smythe 505-705-5445; Survivor & Willard Community Chair: Jeanine Garcia, 505-384-2882

Contribute online: www.relayforlife.org/estanciavalleynm

More information:

• Letter to Relay for Life supporters
• Relay for Life Sponsors Agreement

Looking for

Christine Garcia is looking for a used gas hot water heater in good condition. Call 1133

Jubilee Reminder

Celebrate the 4th at the annual Firecracker Jubilee at the Mountainair Activity Complex at Broadway & Limit and other locations about town. Follow the 10 am Parade down Broadway to the Activity Complex for a fun-packed day of activities that include carnival rides, 2 stages with live music, refreshments, BBQ lunch, games, vendors, exhibits, a Pet Show , Greased Pole Climb, Horseshoe Tourney & more

There will also be a Car Show at Salinas Pueblo NPS Headquarters, a Community Sale at the Methodist Church on S. Sunset, Fireworks at dusk and Dancing to Western Swing through the night at the Community Center on Roosevelt.

Put on by the Jubilee Committee and the Town of Mountainair: (505) 847-2321. Fax: (505) 847-2589. Email townclerk@mountainairnm.gov.

REOPENING THE MANZANOS!!!

Please distribute far and wide!

After a very long wait and lots of hard work the Forest Service is rescinding the Ojo Peak, Trigo and Big Spring Closure Orders. Please pay special attention to specific areas that will remain closed including Tajique, New Canyon and Capilla Peak Campgrounds.

Please follow the link below for all six NEW orders and specifics.

MANZANO MOUNTAINS REOPENING FOR
4^th OF JULY WEEKEND

Mountainair, NM – July 2, 2009: The Mountainair Ranger District is pleased to announce that after over a year of burned area rehabilitation, emergency fire rehabilitation closures will be lifted at 8am, Friday July 3, 2009. New closure orders will also take effect on Friday, July 3. Closures and restrictions to remain in place on the new orders will include:

o No off-road vehicle use within the Ojo Peak Fire, Trigo Fire, and Big Spring Fire Rehabilitation Areas – travel by foot, horseback, or bicycles is allowed
o Forest Road (FR) 245 from New Canyon Campground to Capilla Peak will be CLOSED until hazard trees along the road and trail heads have been felled
o Campgrounds CLOSED to all public entry until restoration is completed:
Capilla Peak Campground
New Canyon Campground
Tajique Campground

Please refer to closure orders which will be posted on the Cibola/Mountainair web page by July 3, 2009. Follow the link for more information on all Mountainair Ranger District Current Orders: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/cibola/conditions/closures_restrictions/index.shtml.

Personal-use Firewood Permits will be issued to people on a waiting list then on a first-come-first-serve basis for felled hazard trees on FR 245, FR 422 and FR 522 beginning Monday, July 6. Forest Road 245 will not be opened until Monday, July 6. The price will be $2.00 per cord, with a minimum of a 10 cord purchase. Please call the Mountainair Ranger District to verify when these permits will be available or to be added to the waiting list.

As in any burned area, there are many hazards. Please keep the following in mind as you visit the Mountainair Ranger District:

o Hazard trees – We have done our best to identify and fell hazard trees (those which have been identified as likely to fall or drop large material within a year) in developed areas – including National Forest System roads, trailheads, and developed recreation areas. We will continue to monitor vegetation in these areas and will remove new hazard trees as they are identified.
These trees can drop branches, limbs, and tree tops, or the whole tree can come down without warning.
We do not remove hazard trees in the backcountry. Use caution when camping and traveling in the woods, including along trails, two-tracks, and game trails.
o Flash Flooding – Burned soils and burned vegetation will not hold water; therefore, be aware that even a small rain shower can produce a large volume of water when funneled into drainages.
o Root and Stump Holes – These are areas where underground structures of trees burned away and left holes in the soil. These are not visible from above. They may not hold weight and will give way under foot or hoof.
o Airborne Ash – Those with respiratory problems should take care when in the burned areas as ash can become airborne by even a slight wind or foot traffic. Carry appropriate fluids to wash ash from eyes.

The issues listed are just a few of the possible scenarios visitors could encounter while visiting a burned area. We strongly advise that visitors use extreme caution and awareness while visiting our national forest. Warning signs have been posted at most main entrances to the Manzano Mountains Division of the District.

The District would like to thank everyone for their cooperation during closures. “We are so appreciative of the public’s patience and compliance with our closures. Our crews along with Mother Nature have worked hard to repair damage and begin the healing process” said District Ranger Karen Lessard. Please contact the Mountainair Ranger District at 505-847-2990 with any questions or concerns regarding burned areas, wood permits or any issues concerning the Mountainair Ranger District. You may also email at atperea@fs.fed.us.

For Sale: bedframe & mattress

$35.00
Double Bed Size Mattress
(used-excellent condition)
*
Deluxe Comfort Supreme Mattress
Stearns & Foster Co.
______________________________
* Insulo Spring Cushion
* Locked Edge Innerroll
* Double Offset Coils
* Seat Edge Border
* Finest Quality Felt
* Marvelux Form
* 100% Inner Quilt
* Humiguard Proccessed

$25.00
Queen/King
“Hollywood” Bed Frame
(used-excellent condition)
__________________
*Metal Frame
*Roller Feet

Call 505-847-0207. Mountainair pick up, no delivery.

Mountainair Public Library

The library summer reading program runs through Aug. 10. Prizes for signing up include candy and a pencil box. Participants earn additional prizes for reading five, 10, and 15 books, including a big, secret prize for reading 15 or more books.

The library is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon, closed Wednesdays, open 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Closed Sundays.

Holdings include audio books, large print books, and videos. The library also has public access computers, now the only ones in town, and a printer. There are always books for sale and a free magazine box. Stock up on books at special by the bag prices at the Library Book Sale held August 22, during the Sunflower Festival

Librarian: Evelyn Walker, 505-847-9676