This project will be part of a multi agency collaborated effort of wildfire risk reduction activities in the new mexico BLM LAS cruces district

Sierra Soil & Water Conservation District (SSWCD) received a $209,501.95 cooperative agreement from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) New Mexico Region under the Rangeland Resource Management program (CFDA 15.237), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2029. SSWCD will implement multi-agency wildfire risk reduction activities across the BLM Las Cruces District in New Mexico, focusing on management of invasive fuels in arid desert shrub environments that deviate from ecological reference conditions and alter natural fire regimes.

Project deliverables include hand thinning, piling operations, and aerial herbicide treatment targeting invasive species in mixed desert shrub communities. These wildfire mitigation activities align with current administration priorities and are designed to reduce fire risk while benefiting public land users and offsetting potential wildfire impacts. As a soil and water conservation district with demonstrated expertise in rangeland restoration and invasive species management across New Mexico, SSWCD will leverage federal partnerships to execute this large-scale environmental management initiative on public lands in the region.

Activities associated with wildfire risk reduction will support the current administration priorities by reducing invasive fuels in arid environments which will benefit public land users by offsetting potential impacts from wildfires. Project activities completed under this agreement are forecasted to include hand thinning piling and aerial herbicide treatment of invasive species in mixed desert shrub that is out of alignment with ecological reference thus altering the natural fire regime.