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The Effects of Las Conchas Fire on Archeological Sites

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The Effects of Las Conchas Fire on Archeological Sites Bandelier National Monument Bandelier National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Starting on June 26, 2011, the Las Conchas Fire burned Bandelier’s Archeological though the Bandelier National Monument. The fire ranks as the largest wildfire in New Mexico history, burning a total of 154,349 Sites and the Las Conchas acres, 43,000 of which were burned in the first 12 hours. Eventually, the fire burned across almost the entire eastern third of Fire the Jemez Mountains. Bandelier National Monument is well-known for its rich history and abundance of cultural sites. The Ancestral Pueblo Peoples came to settle the area leaving traces of their inhabitance dating back to 1175 CE. Within Bandelier’s borders 1,104 of these cultural sites have been confirmed to be located in burned areas. The monument, in conjunction with the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team, has developed a plan for protecting and preserving its cultural resources. assessed for these and other heat Sites that have fire-killed trees will also Fire Effects to related impacts (see the pair of be assessed to determine if the Archeological Sites photographs on the following page). removal of fire-killed trees is Many sites within the fire perimeter necessary. Fire-killed trees pose a Fire can cause direct damage to and downstream of severely burned threat to cultural sites when they cultural sites such as spalling building areas are at risk from damage by eventually fall and could then uproot stone, covering artifacts with soot, and flooding and erosion. This requires sites. These trees, if they are to be heat fracturing of stone and ceramic archeologists to asses sites located removed, can then be used to protect artifacts. As part of the BAER plan, within 50 meters of drainage bottoms cultural sites by assisting in erosion sites located within high, moderate, in watersheds with badly burned control in the form of soil retaining or low burn severity areas will be headwaters and sites located on slopes structures. greater than 5%. archeological sites and adjacent areas. Kiva, and those located along the Main Protecting In some areas all of the woody loop trail have been assessed for risk Archeological Sites material was consumed in the fire of flooding and determined that the making erosion control even more risk is very low. Damage from installing In an effort to protect and preserve difficult. However, many areas are point protection, such as sand bags, on our cultural sites Bandelier staff has seeing increased vegetation recovery these areas would most likely result in planned to construct soil retention reducing the risk of post-fire erosion more damage to the structure than structures, water diverters, and apply damage. Based on individual site any potential flooding. However, the slash-mulch around sites determined assessment, the most appropriate Visitor Center and historic to be in danger of post-fire erosion action will be pursued to ensure that administrative buildings are located damage. Materials for these actions our cultural resources will be closer to the floodplain and have been will be collected from within protected and preserved. protected against flooding by use of Cultural sites, such as Tyuonyi, Big sand bags and jersey barriers. Photo 1. Taken in 2005 showing site prior to Las Conchas Fire. Note duff cover and dead and down trees. Photo 2. Same site in 2011, following Las Conchas Fire. Note lack of duff and consumed fuels. numerous times by small surface fires and smoke. These data will then be Looking to the Future and other large fires such as the La used as another tool in managing Mesa Fire and the Dome Fire. From forests that will include large scale It is important to Bandelier, and the these fires we have learned how to thinning and prescribed burns in order NPS, that we learn from these events. preserve archeological sites for future not only to preserve ecosystem health By monitoring archeological sites, we generations. From Las Conchas, we but cultural resources as well. will have the opportunity to study the hope to learn the impacts of large, effects of fire on archeological sites. stand replacing fires, beyond the Many cultural sites have been burned actual effects from the heat, flames, Bulletin provided by the Resource Management Division. January 2012 .
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