New Mexicans across the state are hurting as we deal with displacement, fear, and anxiety from fires, including the largest wildfire in the state’s history. Tens of thousands have been evacuated and far more than that are standing by as wind-whipped fires continue to burn through our state.
We urge you to help aid those impacted by these wildfires, just as you have committed to help threatened landscapes, imperiled wildlife, drying rivers, and frontline communities by being a Guardian.
There are a number of ways to pitch in. Here are just a few ways we suggest:
- Give money. Grants from the All Together NM Fund will go to emergency shelter, food and water distribution, and access to medical support. Donations are 100% tax-deductible.
- Give goods. NM Fire Supply Donation Drive is collecting animal feed, paper products, hot cereal, laundry detergent, diapers, deodorant, shampoo, body wash, and other personal care products at locations in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
- Give time. Taos Connects is facilitating shelter support and meal prep for evacuees. In Santa Fe, Youthworks is prepping meals for evacuees. Both need volunteers.
It’s important to remember that many of the current fires are human-caused, and all of them have been driven by relentless winds and exacerbated by a megadrought linked to the human-induced climate crisis. So while we act with compassion for those suffering let us also act with a renewed and deepened courage to call upon our leaders to take bold action to address the climate crisis.
WildEarth Guardians also fully supports what fire scientists and researchers have been saying for decades: by taking common-sense actions within the “Home Ignition Zone”—the home and its immediate surrounding—we can save homes and lives and protect firefighters and emergency responders. That’s why our official wildfire position calls for a major shift in national policy that emphasizes protecting homes and communities.
Guardians was founded fighting for these very forests that are now burning. While we proudly work throughout the West, our roots are here in the Land of Enchantment. I know that when we come together, we’ll be more resilient as we face this challenge and those that lie ahead.
Like what you just read? Sign up for our E-news. Want to do more? Visit our Action Center.
