Drones

The Santa Fe Police Department announced a new drone program last week. The department said the five new drones will be employed in search and rescue missions, among other uses.

The arrival of summer monsoon rains has slowed New Mexico’s historic wildfires to a snail’s pace. Now, forest managers are looking to restore the over 900,000 acres of land scorched in the past seven months by using seeds. Though the future of reseeding the Southwest’s wildfire-ravaged landscape might soon look different––specifically of skies filled with drones the size of washing machines.

As the efforts of thousands of firefighters battling flames across New Mexico are complicated by fierce winds and drought, officials say drones are another factor slowing their work.