U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
| Contacts: | Cass Cairns, 719-269-8553 |
BLM plans to burn slash piles near Cotopaxi and Parkdale
Cañon City, Colo. – Residents in the Cotopaxi and Parkdale areas may see smoke in the near future as a result of slash pile burning by the Bureau of Land Management.
The slash piles consist of debris from thinning projects to reduce hazardous fuels. The project areas include: Arkansas Mountain, four miles north of Cotopaxi; Stoney Face, 16 miles northwest of Cotopaxi; and Poverty Mountain, five miles southwest of Parkdale.
Burning will occur when weather and fuel conditions become optimal for achieving management objectives while keeping smoke impacts to a minimum in surrounding communities.
For more information contact Tyler Webb, BLM prescribed fire specialist at 719-269-8560.
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.