This past Friday, the “Hawkins Fire,” which originated south of the Preserve, jumped McElmo Canyon and destroyed much of the riparian vegetation below the upper ridge. Thankfully, the Cortez Fire Department, with the aid of many area emergency response agencies, acted quickly and prevented the fire from spreading further. As of Monday, the fire has been declared 100% contained.
Future action may be needed below to prevent soil erosion and noxious weed invasion from impacting water quality.