Yuma Field Office
| Contacts: | Lori Cook – 928-317-3243 or 928-246-8560 |
Prescribed Burn at Mittry Lake Wildlife Area
Yuma, Ariz. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to conduct a prescribed burn on Wednesday, January 23, 2013, in the southern portion of the Mittry Lake Wildlife Area starting at approximately 7:30 a.m. The start date and time for the burning operation depends on weather and may be delayed until appropriate conditions occur.
BLM estimates it will take 1 to 2 hours to burn the 43 acres of cured Bermuda grass, with smoke visible for approximately 45 minutes.
The purpose of the burn is to improve the health of the Bermuda grass and to rid the area of salt cedar sprouts and weeds. Another benefit to this project is the reduction of soil salinity so, in the future, these fields can be planted with native trees such as cottonwoods and willows to provide threatened and endangered species habitat.
This burn is a joint venture with BLM, Arizona Game and Fish Department, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.