USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Announces December 20th as the Deadline to Apply for a Conservation Restoration Plan for the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire and Floods

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in New Mexico is announcing December 20, 2024, as the deadline to apply for a Conservation Restoration Plan for the Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon Fire and subsequent flooding. To date, NRCS has completed and delivered 1,557 plans, on 161,408 acres, with estimates totaling $1.12 billion, on which the Claims Office has paid $581.7 million. 

More Information

In May of 2023, the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office and NRCS announced a partnership to offer landowners—whose property was impacted as a result of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire or subsequent flooding—the opportunity to request a NRCS Conservation Restoration Plan. NRCS plans address natural resource losses and are provided to claimants at no charge and are utilized by the Claims Office to streamline the claims review process. NRCS plans include cost estimates for recovery actions eligible for compensation on natural resource loses under the Claims Office. Detailed plans are developed by experienced certified planners. Conservation Restoration Plans are intended to ensure claimants receive compensation that is comprehensive, fair, and transparent. NRCS can provide plans to landowners and properties of all sizes, but NRCS plans only focus on the landowner’s natural resources. Payments on natural resource losses based on NRCS plans under this partnership are made directly to claimants from the Claims Office.

What is Included in a NRCS Restoration Plan

NRCS Conservation Restoration Plans are comprehensive natural resource plans that provide a holistic approach to recovery. Under this partnership, NRCS plans will give claimants a pathway to restore, rather than enhance, their natural resources in line with best practices specific to northern New Mexico.

Conservation Restoration Plans will address a variety of categories of NRCS-approved common practices, which include but are not limited to:

• Woody residue treatment (removing or laying down dead trees)
• Tree and shrub establishment
• Debris removal
• Access roads
• Fencing
• Soil erosion
• Pipelines
• Livestock wells
• Riparian (riverbank) damage

NRCS plans will include cost estimates to repair or replace natural resources impacted by the fire and flooding. Landowners are not required to take action on their NRCS plan. Once complete, landowners can submit their NRCS plan to the Claims Office to support the natural resources portion of their claim for compensation.  

How to Request a NRCS Conservation Restoration Plan before December 20^th 

Landowners have two options for requesting an NRCS Conservation Restoration Plan.

The recommended first step is to submit a Notice of Loss to the Claims Office. Once you submit a Notice of Loss, your dedicated Claims Navigator will contact you to discuss your claim and the full scope of your loss. Your Claims Navigator will help you determine if you would benefit from a NRCS plan. If you have already submitted a Notice of Loss and are interested in an NRCS plan, we encourage you to mention this to your Claims Navigator. If you or the Claims Office determines that you would benefit from an NRCS plan, the Claims Office will share your contact information with the NRCS, and a staff member will contact you directly to schedule a visit to your property. If you have submitted a Notice of Loss, you may be eligible for a Conservation Restoration Plan, but you are not automatically submitted for a Conservation Restoration Plan, so please work with the Claims Office if you are interested.

Landowners may also choose to contact the NRCS directly to request a Conservation Restoration Plan. If you contact NRCS directly, NRCS staff will notify the Claims Office to ensure a Claims Navigator contacts you to discuss the process. To request a plan from NRCS directly, you can email ConservationRestorationPlan@usda.gov, or visit one of the two local service centers (see below). The “Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Request for Conservation Restoration Plan Assistance” forms can be requested by email and are available at the two local service centers and at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/hermits-peak.

NRCS Las Vegas Field Office
1927 A 7Th St
Las Vegas, NM 87701
(505) 425-3594 Ext.3

NRCS Mora Field Office
523 State Highway 518
Mora, NM 87732
(575) 387-2424 Ext. 3

How to Submit a Notice of Loss to the Claims Office

Notice of Loss forms can be found at fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_notice-loss-hermits-peak-fire-form.pdf. You can submit your Notice of Loss via email at fema-hermits-peak@fema.dhs.gov, or by mail to FEMA Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office, or by visiting one of our three Claims Offices (See next page. More info is available at https://www.fema.gov/hermits-peak/contact-us).

Mora Claims Office
Mora County Courthouse
1 Courthouse Drive
Mora, NM 87732

Las Vegas Claims Office 
216 Mills Avenue,
Las Vegas, NM 87701, 

Santa Fe Claims Office
1711 Llano Street, Suite E
Santa Fe, NM 87505

The deadline to submit a Notice of Loss is Dec. 20, 2024. For more information about the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act and the Claims Office, visit fema.gov/hermits-peak. For information in Spanish, visit fema.gov/es/hermits-peak. You can also follow our Facebook page and turn on notifications to stay up to date about the claims process, forms, deadlines and other materials at facebook.com/HermitsPeakCalfCanyonClaimsOffice. 

Submitting a Notice of Loss and requesting a Conservation Restoration Plan are two separate requests. Submitting a Notice of Loss does not automatically entail a request for a Conservation Restoration Plan. Claimants may request a Conservation Restoration Plan from NRCS by December 20, 2024, but must also submit a Notice of Loss by December 20, 2024, to receive payments on Conservation Restoration Plans.

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