The funds had been held up for months by budget battles in congress and were stripped from the $60 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package that passed in late January.

The money will be used to repair infrastructure and damaged stream beds that can lead to flooding or mudslides.

Portions of the Rio Grande Bosque and Sandia Mountains Foothills are being closed although some trails remain open.   The county is also closing open-space sites in the East Mountains.

KRQE News 13′s Emily Younger is covering this story for the 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. newscasts and for KRQE.com.

City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County:

Under the partial closure, citizens may still use the levee roads and established trails in the Bosque and Foothills. Citizens should not be off the established trails.

“The use of our citizens is part of the city’s Bosque preservation and Fire Prevention strategy.” Fire Chief James Breen said. “Limited public access maintains a human presence to report fires in the early stages, report suspicious activity and prohibited activities.”

Bernalillo County is closing the following East Mountain open space areas on Monday:

• Carlito Springs
• Ojito de San Antonio
• Sabino Canyon
• Sedillo Ridge
• Sandia Knolls

Bosque and Foothill Area Rules

• Stay on established paths and levee roads
• Use of river is allowed if access to river is accomplished through established paths and levee roads.
• Remain on alert.
• Citizens cannot access Cibola National Forest and Grasslands wilderness from city open space areas.
• Report suspicious activity to 505-242-COPS
• Report any fires or other emergencies to 911

Open Burning Ban

• Open burning has been banned in public and private outdoor areas within the municipal boundaries of the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Examples include but are not limited to:
• Open burning
• Bonfires
• Recreational fires
• Use of model rockets
• Open flame devices
• Burning may be done in an enclosed chamber devices such as cooking/outdoor grills.

More from KRQE.com:

• Statewide fire restrictions and closures »
• Wildfire news and resources »
• Submit fire and weather photos to Report It! »

Latest wildfire updates and fire forecast »

It was originally estimated to be 5 acres, but the fire has grown significantly since that last estimate.

New fire started near Quemado, NM. Fire started this Wednesday June 5, 2013 (Courtesy, Arnold Lapham)

Read More »

A shuttle will be provided to take the pets at 9 o’clock Wednesday morning at the Pecos rodeo grounds.

They ask residents to provide food for their pet.

The kennel will also shuttle your pets back to Pecos if need be.

One fire called the Bosque Fire is burning on the Bosque Trail on the eastside of the Manzanos. Crews are currently responding to that fire and believe it will be knocked down very quickly. At this time they do not know what caused that fire.

Another fire is burning on the west side of the Manzanos – east of Meadowlake in Valencia County. There is no size estimate of that fire and also no predicted cause.

The Forest Service has deployed single engine tankers to fight that fire hoping to take it down before it gets much momentum.

The shelter at the Pecos High School gym is transitioning to a daytime center Sunday for the Tres Lagunas Fire.

It’s open until 6 o’clock Sunday night.

It will be back open Monday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Red Cross volunteers and resources remain on stand-by.

It is ready to open shelters for the Thompson Ridge Fire if necessary.

Doug Cram has been named the wildland fire management specialist.  He’s in charge of developing programs that looks into all aspects of wildfires.

Cram, a native of Los Alamos, previously served as the wildland fire specialist in Hawaii and studied fire ecology in the Southwest at NMSU.

NMSU is one of only two land-grant universities in the country to create this type of position.

Online from KRQE News 13:  Wildfire coverage, official updates and preparedness resources »

High temperatures, low humidity, and a lack of rainfall have caused tinder-dry vegetation in the Rio Rancho Bosque area. These conditions have created an extremely high fire danger.

The full closure of the Bosque means that all paths, ditch roads near the Bosque, and the forest (trees) are closed to all visitors and users.

For more information»

“We normally begin selling personal use woodcutting permits in mid-May,” said Reidy. “But due to the continued drought and fire restrictions, we decided to delay the season,” he added.

The Mt. Taylor Ranger District is in Stage I fire restrictions. However, if the drought continues, the district may soon move into Stage II fire restrictions.

“Stage II restrictions bans the use of chainsaws during the day, which would make it difficult for most people to cut wood,” Reidy said.

The woodcutting season will begin when there is enough precipitation to decrease the likelihood of human-caused wildfires. The district will issue a media release and post information on the web to announce the beginning of the season.

For more information, please call the Mt. Taylor Ranger District at 505.287.8833.

The current fire restrictions and information about woodcutting permits»