| Contacts: | Lynn Barclay: 970-826-5096 |
Dry Gulch prescribed burn on BLM managed land
Grand County, CO – The Bureau of Land Management Kremmling Field Office is planning a prescribed fire during this spring if weather conditions are favorable. Fire officials expect to burn up to 500 acres in sagebrush and pinion/juniper trees to improve wildlife habitat and reduce hazardous fuels.
The burn is 20 miles southwest of Kremmling, ten miles east of State Bridge, and one mile southwest of Radium. Portions of the burn are located in Eagle and Grand Counties near Dry Gulch Spring off the Trough Road.
One of the project goals is to improve wildlife habitat and stimulate new, more nutritious plant growth in the burned areas. The fires should leave a patchwork of burned and unburned areas giving wildlife better foreage and also provide hiding cover.
Another goal is to decrease the vegetation density and limit pinion juniper encroachment in sage and grass meadows. Absence of fire in this area has allowed fuels to accumulate and has increased the potential for high intensity wildfire. This burn will decrease fuel loads, helping reduce the risk of a much larger unwanted wildfire.
Each prescribed burn has a detailed fire plan developed in advance along with appropriate smoke permits obtained from the State of Colorado. For further information contact the Kremmling Field Office at
970-724-3000.
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.
2103 East Park Avenue Kremmling, CO 80459