Two New Mexico Commission Properties to Open for First Time Since Wildfires
OutdoorHub 08.08.13
Two fishing and recreation areas owned by the State Game Commission along N.M. 63 in Pecos Canyon will reopen to visitors Thursday for the first time since the Tres Lagunas and Jaroso wildfires.
The Mora and Jamie Koch fishing and recreation areas will reopen at noon Thursday, coinciding with the reopening of N.M. 63 and portions of the Santa Fe National Forest. The Bert Clancy and Terrero campgrounds and fishing areas, also owned by the Game Commission, will remain closed indefinitely because of flooding concerns. Monastery Lake, which is leased by the Commission, reopened for fishing July 12.
Trout fishing should be good in the Pecos River above the Tres Lagunas Ranch, where most of the damaging ash and silt originates from the Tres Lagunas wildfire, said Eric Frey, Sport Fish Program manager for the Department of Game and Fish. Although the Jaroso Fire impacted some streams that feed into the upper Pecos River, the amount of ash runoff is unlikely to kill many fish, he said.
Downstream of Tres Lagunas, however, fishing is expected to be poor at best at least until next spring, when the Department will assess how best to restock it with trout. For now, Forest Service and Game Commission properties areas within 100 feet of the river downstream of Tres Lagunas are closed to all entry due to flooding concerns.
For more information about which areas in the Santa Fe National Forest that are open or closed, please visit www.fs.usda.gov/santafe or call (505) 438-5300.
