Firefighter

The firefighter is probably the largest of the wooden sculptures in the little park at the Pueblo Montano Trailhead. The sculptures were made byMark Chavez, who was one of the firefighters who fought the Albuquerque Bosque Fire of 2003. I have seen a lot of things made from wood using chainsaws (mostly bears) but the sculptures in the park are really unique. The tell the story of the fire, and the wildlife that live in the Bosque. The Bosque is the nature trails and native lands that border the Rio Grande River where it runs through Albuquerque, NM.

During the fire many of the beautiful cottonwood trees along this section of the river were killed. Instead of cutting down the dead trees to use them as firewood or hauling them to the dump Mark Chavez turned these tree stumps into fanstatic sculptures. More information at http://www.examiner.com/x-1972-Albuquerque-Travel-Examiner~y2009m9d10-Hidden-Albuquerque-Pueblo-Montano-park-and-the-wood-carvings-of-Mark-Chavez