!! Wildfire Prevention !! Home Hardening & Vegetation Risk Reduction
Living in the foothills of the mountains, fire is is an ever-present threat. Wildfires in the mountains can be started by human carelessness or by lightning, and our homes are vulnerable. In conditions of drought, the danger of fire becomes more extreme. Sandia Heights is rated by insurance companies as having very high fire risk. The following resources discuss practical steps towards wildfire-proofing one's home.
Ember-Resistant Vents and Vent Screening - Windborne embers can travel as far as a mile and are responsible for about 90% of home ignitions. This powerpoint presentation gives a step-by-step DIY process for covering roof vents with steel mesh, thereby preventing embers from gaining easy entry into one's home.
Creating defensible space - This brochure, with its cartoon illustrations of a typical home in a wildfire-prone neighborhood, points out all the features of streets, nearby vegetation, home exterior, and home interior that can be redesigned to minimize wildfire's potential damage.
Creating defensible space for certification - not required yet by home insurance companies - Planting, exterior structure, and property maintenance guidelines developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). These recommendations are intended to form the basis of future certification requirements by insurance companies. It is an eye-opening read, as few existing houses would qualify. For example, for a distance of five feet around the entire perimeter of the house, there should be either hardscape or bare soil, with zero vegetation of any kind.
Fire Wise Plant Materials - Catalog of plants that are more fire resistant than others, along with tips (e.g., remove dead trees!) for creating a fire safety zone around one's house.
Ready, Set, Go Education - Advice from a coalition of New Mexico Firefighters on steps homeowners can take in advance of a wildfire, to minimize damage to their family and property.
Bernalillo County Open burning rules and burn bans - County policy on fires and burning outdoors. (note: Sandia Heights covenants also prohibit trash burning. They further state barbeques cannot be closer than 10 feet to a lot boundary, unless part of the home's structure).
2025 Wildfire Seminar - Many fire prevention resources from local first responders and county officials; this seminar was developed specifically for Sandia Heights residents.
Crime and Community Safety
While crime is extremely low in Sandia Heights (a CAP score of 1/10, compared to 4/10 for the US average), it doesn't hurt to be careful.
What real burglers said were their greatest deterrents to breaking into homes
10 Important Crime Safety Tips (an old-but-good article from criminaljusticephd.org on crime-proofing one's home)
Environmental Quality (Light and Noise)
One of the privileges of living in Sandia Heights is being able to see the stars on a clear night. Towards the west, the city glow washes out the nighttime view of our galaxy, but if we turn towards the north or east, we can see all the major constellations in those directions. Cameras with nighttime photo capture will even pick up the reddish glow of an aurora borealis on evenings when strong CMEs (coronal mass ejections) are hitting the earth. There are multiple dark sky areas in New Mexico, but the restrictions on lighting in our neighborhood allow us to appreciate nearly the same skies right at home.
Light pollution and night-sky protection - Bernalillo county ordinance on outdoor light fixtures. Briefly, they need to be shielded and pointing downwards, so as not to contribute to ambient light pollution.
Another feature of our neighborhood is its relative quiet. In addition to low housing density and distance from commercial centers, Sandia Heights conforms to County noise ordinances, which can be researched in the document below.
Noise pollution basics - Bernalillo county specifications on permissible noise levels and noise types.
Hiking in the Sandias
Sandia Heights shares its eastern border with National Forest land, and we are fortunate to have such easy access to the hiking trails in the Sandia Mountains; for many residents, the trails are literally outside our back doors. Please note that there is no public access to the forest land through private property. Unless you have explicitly asked a private landowner for permission to walk through their land, and have received permission to do so, you are limited to accessing the mountain trails by way of public trailheads.
Hiking maps can be reached by navigating to Homepage > Local Maps > Nearby Public Lands - Hiking, Camping, and Biking Maps
Mike Coltrin's Sandia Mountain Hiking Guide, Revised and Expanded Edition, is a classic hiking guide to the Sandia Mountains featuring over 60 trails and walking routes. Each trail description includes length, elevation gain, degree of difficulty, GPS readings, and descriptions of the terrain, scenic viewpoints, and neighboring trails. The book also includes detailed maps.
The Leave No Trace 7 Principles - Guidance on how to plan your hiking or camping trip such that it minimizes ecological impact.
Trail Etiquette - From saying hello, to cleaning up dog poop, to passing on the left, to cyclists yielding to horses, these are practical tips that experienced hikers will have learned over time but that are useful for those starting out.
Landscaping, Sustainably
Residential Rainwater Harvesting - a "how-to" guide from Bernalillo County Public Works. Use rainwater runoff to water your plants; cut down on irrigation needs.
Keep Your Trees Healthy - Useful, Albuquerque-centric guide to keeping planted trees watered and alive in the high desert climate. These tips also help reduce the chance your trees will become wildfire fodder.
Problem Trees - A list of popular trees that need too much water, die easily, are forbidden by the Architectural Control Guidelines, are pest-prone, or are otherwise just not worth it, if you live in Sandia Heights.
Septic Systems
While a few (very few!) Sandia Heights residents are connected to sewer systems, the vast majority of us process our waste through septic systems. Here are some resources to help folks navigate managing their own septic systems.
Update on Septic Systems (2020) - informational article by the SHHA Architectural Control Committee
Bernalillo County FAQs on Septic Systems - includes a list of approved septic system evaluators and explains the county's requirement to evaluate, if not pump, septic tanks every 5 years.
Maintaining your septic system - EPA brochure detailing maintenance, what not to flush, failure causes and symptoms
Traffic Safety
Many residents walk on the roads throughout our neighborhood, enjoying the sunshine, the amazing skies, the mountains, and the clear mountain breeze. However, Sandia Heights streets have no sidewalks, so a pleasant stroll — with family, with friends, and with pets — carries an element of danger.. Please keep everyone safe: pets should be on leashes, and their waste cleaned up by their owners. Pets should not walk on asphalt or concrete in the peak of summer, as they will badly burn their feet. Try early morning walks, trail hikes, or dog parks instead. And, for the safety of all humans involved, please observe these rules of the road:
| FOR PEDESTRIANS | FOR DRIVERS | |
| For PedestriansFor DriversWalk on the left side of the road facing oncoming traffic. | Follow the posted speed limit and drive to conditions. | |
| Make eye contact with the drivers before crossing a street. Don't assume drivers see you. | Be cautious when passing stopped or parked vehicles. | |
| When walking, put away electronic devices that take your eyes and ears off the road. | Pay attention and put your phone away, so you're always prepared if pedestrians enter your path. | |
| Cross the street only at intersections or crosswalks. Look left, right, then left again before crossing. | Stop for pedestrians at crosswalks. | |
| Obey all traffic and crosswalk signals. | When turning, yield the right of way to pedestrians. |
Water Conservation
If you are looking instead for the Sanitation Pickup Calendar from Sandia Heights Services (not a part of SHHA), or the Eye on Water app for monitoring home water use, those can be found under Resident Resources>Local Utilities.
Living in the desert, water is always on our minds. Will there be enough water in the aquifers to to sustain us in the future? When is is it going to rain? How do we make do with the water we have? In these sections you'll find interesting and informative information about water conservation.
Preserving water inside and outside the house - from Sandia Heights Services (SHS), our local utility company
Water Conservation Tips and Products - from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Bernalillo County Water Conservation Programs - Water conservation incentives, ordinances, workshops, and tips. The incentives are particularly noteworthy, including:
- Rainwater Harvesting and Storage - 1-2 Free Rainwater Barrels
- High efficiency toilet retrofits - $300 coupon towards purchase
- High efficiency washing machines - $200 coupon towards purchase
- Smart irrigation controllers - $100 coupon towards purchase
- Laundry-to-Landscape Greywater Kits - free
Water Plans & Reports for the State of New Mexico - From the Office of the State Engineer, this is the portal to all statewide water availability/use/regulations/planning information.
New Mexico's State Water Plan - This document is from deeper within the website of the Office of the State Engineer, above. New Mexico's 50 year plan outlines both conservation and water rights acquisition initiatives the State is taking to ensure we all have water for the next 50 years.
Wildlife Habitat, Preservation, and Responsible Coexistence
Situated in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, Sandia Heights shares habitat with an impressive array of wildlife. Bears, coyotes, bobcats, deer, and the occasional mountain lion are visitors to our area, along with smaller animals like rabbits, rock squirrels, raccoons, bridled weasels, pack rats, and various native mice. Bull snakes, rattlesnakes, and coachwhip snakes are also part of our environment, helping keep the rodent population in balance. Numerous bird species, from bluejays and roadrunners to hawks and other raptors, also make their home here. By choosing to live in Sandia Heights, our residents embrace both the thrill of seeing wild animals outside our windows and the responsibility to coexist harmoniously with our wild neighbors. One aspect of living with the wildlife component of our neighborhood is preserving the natural habitat in Sandia Heights through which the wild neighbors move and live.
Keeping Bears Alive and You Safe! - Don't put out trash, don't put out food, back away if you see one. This article gives the advice most long-term residents have ingrained in their heads. Note that Sandia Heights Services, the company that manages trash collection for Sandia Heights (as well as water services), states that trash bins should be out no earlier than one hour before collection time, due to persistent problems with human-bear encounters at or near trash cans.
Living with Predators - Coyote, bobcat, and bear awareness
More On Bobcats - Small natural history lesson on bobcats
Rattlesnake safety practices - How to identify different snakes in Sandia Heights - and how to avoid rattlesnakes, which are the only dangerous species locally.
Mice and Rats! - A description of the more common species of local mice and rats - and what you should do about them.
Packrats - How to eliminate packrats without poisoning; save all the higher wildlife in the ecosystem!
Plague and Hantavirus - Plague and Hantavirus are two rodent-borne illnesses that are lethal but extremely rare. This article describes both and advises that if you see a dead rodent or rabbit -- leave it alone, out of an abundance of caution.
New Mexico Game and Fish Publications - Plentiful information about hunting and fishing in New Mexico.