(Left to Right) Shantini Ramakrishnan, FWRI Special Programs Manager; Hank Blackwell, WRTC Interim Director; and Edward Martinez, Deputy Director of FWRI.
The Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute (FWRI), hosted by New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU), works with government agencies, academic research institutions, land managers, and the public to improve forest and watershed health and reduce wildfire risk. Since 2012, the Institute has collaborated across these sectors in forest and watershed management, particularly in wildfire risk reduction.
Those efforts have taken on greater urgency following the devastating 2022 Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon (HPCC) Fire. In response, FWRI has expanded partnerships and educational initiatives that help communities better understand post-fire restoration and pre-fire mitigation strategies.
One of the most visible examples of this regional collaboration is the Wildfire Resiliency Training Center (WRTC), housed at Luna Community College (LCC). Working in partnership with FWRI at NMHU, the WRTC addresses local post-fire restoration needs while also supporting firefighting workforce development and landowner education aimed at reducing the likelihood of another catastrophic wildfire.
As the home of two institutions of higher education, Las Vegas, New Mexico, and its surrounding region have a long rural-based tradition of educational programs designed to meet local needs. The Wildfire Resiliency Training Center is a prime example.
“All of this came about as a response to the fire (HPCC Fire),” said Shantini Ramakrishnan, FWRI Special Programs Manager.
In 2022, leadership at LCC recognized the urgent need to strengthen local expertise in post-fire restoration, pre-fire mitigation, and firefighter workforce training. From that need, the concept for the Wildfire Resiliency Training Center emerged.
The project became reality through two grants obtained by LCC, with sub-awards to FWRI at NMHU. These included a $3 million, five-year grant from the USDA and a $500,000, three-year grant from the Department of Commerce.
Interim Director Hank Blackwell now leads the WRTC. Blackwell came out of retirement to bring decades of experience and professional connections to the Center. Beginning his firefighting career with the Los Alamos Fire Department, he later directed national disaster response teams.
That experience has proven highly valuable in developing the program. For example, the WRTC now holds an agreement with the prestigious National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), the organization responsible for national coordination and standards for wildland firefighting training.
“We now have an agreement to offer any NWCG course,” Blackwell said.
With support from WRTC staff and subject-matter experts, the Center now offers a range of educational opportunities supporting wildfire suppression and restoration.
Blackwell and LCC leadership also recognized that training firefighters alone would not fully address wildfire risk. Expanding knowledge about forest and watershed restoration after fires, as well as pre-fire mitigation strategies, was equally important. The NMHU-based Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute was well positioned to fill that educational role.
“Restoration is about creating an environment where the forest can restore itself,” Ramakrishnan explained. “Educating people is a critical part of that process. We want people to stay connected to the land.”
FWRI’s partnership in the WRTC builds on the Institute’s longstanding contributions to forest health and wildfire risk reduction. Through collaboration with agencies, researchers, land managers, and the public, the Institute continues to advance techniques that help forests recover and return to environmental health following major fires.