McBride Fire Burn Scar Recovery Efforts Continue

McBride Fire Burn Scar Debris Flow

The Village of Ruidoso has been working with regional and state partners to help recovery efforts in Gavilan Canyon after the McBride Fire. The fire burned through Gavilan Canyon into the Eagle Creek drainage in early April 2022. Since the fire, the VOR and Lincoln County have implemented a debris clean-up program with the help of national volunteer groups, including the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and Samaritan’s Purse. Much of the debris was quickly removed shortly after the fire due to these efforts, but clean-up work remains.

After a wildfire, an affected area is prone to increased chances of flooding and fast-moving, deadly landslides known as debris flows. These are powerful mixtures of mud, rocks, boulders, entire trees, and sometimes homes or vehicles. Debris flows occur most commonly during intense rain after wildfires. A debris flow doesn’t need sustained rain or a saturated slope. It can start on a dry slope after only a few minutes of intense rain, such as a burst of rain at a fast rate (~1/2” in an hour).

Many projects are being created to reduce these post-fire impacts. The VOR partnered with Lincoln County to implement the Emergency Watershed Protection Program through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRSC). Work through this program is being completed on private, state, and municipal lands to reduce erosion and reestablish vegetation in the burned areas. Currently, wattles and native grass seeds are being spread throughout Gavilan Canyon and the Eagle Creek drainage with help from the EcoServants. Additional projects, including trash racks and sediment ponds, will be installed soon in areas prone to debris flows.

The Village has also partnered with the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department Division of Forestry to implement sediment and debris basins in the Lincoln Nation Forest near the Warrior Drive and Gavilan Canyon Road intersection. This project was funded by the Division of Forestry and
has been implemented by the VOR. Despite not being finished, the sediment and debris basins have substantially reduced the amount of debris and sediment moving downstream that had the potential to cause damage to Meander Drive and Gavilan Canyon Road Bridge. Basin construction has been delayed because of regular rain events this monsoon season. However, the project is expected to be completed by mid-October.

Federal Agencies have also been supportive of post-fire efforts, including the United States Geological Survey, which has installed seven new precipitation gauges throughout Lincoln County. These rain gauges have been instrumental in helping Lincoln County and the Village close down Gavilan Canyon Road to traffic before flooding and debris flows occur. The USFS has also implemented several projects on the Lincoln National Forest through its Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program. These efforts have included closing public access on Forest Service lands west of Blue Lake Road (120A) and installing warning signs on hiking trails and roads in the burn area. Furthermore, on September 1st, the USFS performed aerial seeding with a helicopter on 355 acres of the Lincoln National Forest that were the most severely burned.

The VOR will continue working with regional partners to monitor the burned area for the next several years, implementing additional hazard mitigation projects. These projects could include upsizing several culverts throughout Gavilan Canyon, and the potential replacement of the Gavilan Canyon Road Bridge as funding allows.