Panelists in Taos County discuss lessons learned from Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire

TAOS — Gerald Romero, district manager for Tierra y Montes Soil and Water Conservation District, gets emotional when he recalls the state's largest-ever wildfire.

“If catastrophic fire is not in your minds, it had better be,” Romero said. “It’s not a matter of if but when, where and how bad it’s gonna be.”

Romero would know: Since 2022, he's been laboring tirelessly as a leader on the frontlines of the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire and the ensuing recovery.

"It was baptism by fire," he said in a recent panel discussion on lessons learned from the largest wildfire in New Mexico history. The discussion was the penultimate installment of the Enchanted Circle Wildfire Preparedness Series.

Perhaps the biggest lesson of all: The road to recovery is long.

“Post-fire recovery is not a sprint;