Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2006; Southern Plains Fire Cluster, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area

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A summary of fire ecology activities and program information for the Park/network including fire effects plot workload, staffing, management objectives and monitoring results, and planning, fire monitoring, communications, and research. Also included are staff accomplishments/areas of focus, future program direction and other optional information (e.g. data analysis graphics or presentations, annual highlights, publications, program challenges, unique solutions to problems, collaboration, photographs of monitoring/fire activities, and suggestions on FFI). The 2006 season proved to be a new endeavor for the fire effects program at Lake Meredith NRA and the rest of the Southern Plains Fire Cluster parks. The Lead Fire Effects position was hired in November, 2005 and Becky Seifert-Smith started at the end of January, 2006. This is the first time a fire effects program has been physically stationed and fully funded at Lake Meredith for the Southern Plains Fire Cluster. The Southern Plains Fire Cluster manages and works in seven parks in four different states. Before the Lake Meredith Lead arrived the Bandelier fire effects crew had installed plots at Lake Meredith, Capulin Volcano and Washita Battlefield working with the Bandelier Fire Ecologist. When the fire effects program was started at Lake Meredith in January, Richard Gatewood, the Chihuahuan Desert Fire Ecologist, was assigned to the program. The newness of the situation at Lake Meredith caused the Lead to spend the first few months of her time becoming familiar with Lake Meredith operations and trying to get a working office set up. Because there was no equipment to work with she spent much of the summer trying to research, buy and acquire equipment for the crew. This included not only monitoring equipment, but computers, office supplies, office furniture, camping and fire equipment and all of the little things such as pens, pencils and even calculators that seem to get taken for granted, except for when they are missing! It was decided to not hire crewmembers to allow time and money for the program to get off of its feet while funding was used to acquire the tools necessary to support the crew the following summer.

Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2006; Southern Plains Fire Cluster, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area

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