Fire restrictions tightened-- Crest House Closed

[Rosyfinch]

The monsoon rains should be arriving within the next couple of weeks to reduce the fire danger, but until then, all the higher mountain areas are CLOSED. The official announcement:

Effective Wednesday June 29th the district is tightening fire restrictions. The ONLY OPEN AREAS are the Sandia Ranger District compound, Tijeras Pueblo Education Building and Trail, Sandia Tram-High Finance Restaurant and associated deck area, and the Foothills Trail (FST 365 and associated trails south of the tram and outside of the Sandia Mountain Wilderness). Everything else will be CLOSED, including all the Picnic Areas and the Crest House and Observation Area. Needless to say, all interpretive talks/walks/programs (with exception of deck programs at the Tram and Tijeras Pueblo programs on site) are cancelled until we receive adequate moisture.

All existing fire restrictions remain in place. If you would like a copy of the closure order I can send it individually. The egroup mailing list didn't like the size of the original document (4 mb)  Please use extreme caution as we are getting hotter and drier by the day (hour).

We do appreciate extra eyes reporting torn down/missing barriers or sightings of persons inside the restricted area. Remember: Anyone caught inside the restricted area can expect to be ticketed with the associated fines, possible court time, and/or possible jail time.

Thanks for your cooperation and support.

Lisa L. Jones
V.I.P. Coordinator
Sandia Ranger District, Cibola NF
11776 HWY 337
Tijeras, NM 87059
[phone] ext 128
[phone] fax
email: [e-mail]

[Rosyfinch]

With the onset of the monsoon rains in July, all fire  restrictions were lifted, and the Sandia Crest House resumed normal operations.