New Mexico Community Stories
Ute Park Valley is an unincorporated area in Colfax County, New Mexico, located along U.S. Highway 64 about halfway between Cimarron and Eagle Nest in the northern part of the state. The valley resembles a park; it is a relatively level meadow area surrounded by steeper forested areas in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Ute Park Valley lies around the confluence of Ute Creek with the Cimarron River.
The inhabited areas of the Ute Park Valley include an area composed mainly of summer homes and weekend cabins with a few full-time residents, an office of the New Mexico State Forestry Department and three local ranches: Cimarroncita Historic Ranch Retreat, Ute Creek Ranch, and Express Ranch. Approximately 60-70 full time residents and another 200 seasonal or weekend occupants live there. The one commercial business outlet in Ute Park is a combination gas station, curio shop, motel, and small RV park. A small subdivision is being developed across the highway from the gas station. Many of the developed summer home and ranching areas lie in Ute Park's wildland/urban interface area or extend deeply into forested areas.
The topography of the area is mainly steep, heavily forested land, broken up by Ute Park Valley that contains meadows, the Cimarron River, Ute and Cimarroncita Creeks. The narrow Cimarron Canyon lies to the east and west. The vegetation is predominantly mixed conifer forest. The trees on the hills in the southern part of Ute Park are include Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine, and Rocky Mountain juniper, as well as several stands of Gambel oak. In the riparian areas narrow-leaved cottonwoods, willows, chokecherries, and a few aspens grow. The fairly open areas away from the creeks have chamisa (rabbitbrush), pinon pine, junipers, and a collection of native grasses.
Fires have been suppressed in the surrounding lands for many years, and much of the forested area is overgrown with dense stands of trees, especially the Colin Neblett Wildlife Area to the west. This has created a high potential for a major wildfire. The Ponil Complex fire of 2002 burned 92,500 acres northeast of Ute Park Valley and came within two miles of the summer home area. It was even closer to the Ute Creek and Express Ranches.
Ute Park Valley property owners have become very aware of the need for improving fire safety, especially since the Ponil Complex fire. Several educational efforts have been ongoing in Colfax County, including the annual Fire, Forest, and Water Fair. The county urban forester and the county fire marshal began holding public meetings in Ute Park Valley in December 2005, in order to collect local input for a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. It was completed in early 2006. They encouraged residents to form a Firewise group, and several people volunteered. The Ute Park Valley Firewise Association was formed in February 2006. The three communities of Ute Park Valley, Hidden Lake and Elk Ridge have worked closely together since that time on Firewise activities, with help from the Taos Pines Ranch community---it achieved Firewise Community/USA status in 2005. The communities call themselves the Colfax County Firewise Coalition and have formed a joint Firewise Board with representatives from each community as well as several local organizations and government agencies.
The first Firewise Education Day for the Ute Park Valley was held March 25, 2006 at the Ute Park Fire Station. Twenty-seven participants heard Colfax County Fire Marshal Larry Osborn speak about wildfire dangers, Firewise practices and defensible space. Discussion and a potluck lunch followed the speech. For a community of about 70 full-time residents, the turnout was oustanding, and a great start to local Firewise efforts.
On April 7, 2006, Karen Lightfoot, the Firewise Communities state liaison, met with community members in Ute Park to answer questions about Firewise practices and to help chart the next steps towards becoming a Firewise Community. Representatives from the communities of Ute Park Valley, Hidden Lake, and Elk Ridge made a presentation about progress toward Firewise recognition and submitted documentation on Firewise activities to Ms. Lightfoot.
The first community chipper day was held April 15, 2006 at the Ute Park Fire Station. Numerous pickup and trailer loads of slash were delivered for chipping by the Colfax County chipper, and many pickup loads of wood chips were hauled away by local residents. A second chipper day was held June 22, 2006, along with two follow-up sessions after repairs were made to the chipper. At least one more chipper day is planned for August 2006.
Community residents have been thinning and trimming trees and brush on their properties, and several have had their properties assessed by fire staff from the State Forestry Division or the Colfax County Fire Administration. Most full-time and week-end residents have prepared well for the summer fire season by cleaning roofs and gutters, raking up pine needles, and trimming tree branches near the ground or close to structures. Several local homeowners have completed some remodeling recently, and have taken the opportunity to replace older roofing and siding materials with modern, fire-resistant products.
The Ute Park Valley Firewise Association is continuing to sponsor Firewise activities and will be working increasingly with neighboring communities to help them to join the county coalition and become Firewise as well.
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