Government proposes prescribed burn in the Pecos Wilderness | Environment

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - The U.S. Forest Service is proposing a prescribed burn in the Pecos Wilderness near Santa Fe to reduce the possibility that a wildfire could severely damage the city's watershed.

The Espanola Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest has scheduled a meeting Sept. 20 to gather public comments and provide more information about the proposal to burn 2,900 acres in the wilderness area upstream from McClure Reservoir, which is east of Santa Fe and stores water for the city.

The meeting will be held at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, starting at 5:30 p.m. The federal agency says prescribed burns typically are done in early spring, late summer or fall.

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