| Contacts: | Lynn Barclay: 970-826-5096 |
BLM to continue with Deer Valley prescribed burn
Moffat County, Colo. – Fire managers from the Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit are planning a 150 acre prescribed burn on Douglas Mountain approximately two miles southwest of Greystone and 34 miles west of Maybell in Moffat County. Fire personnel will begin work today, Tuesday, April 20, unless prevented by weather conditions. They hope to complete the burn in one day, it could however take several days. This is a continuation of the project that was initiated two years ago.
Fire personal and vehicles will be working off the north side of Moffat County Road 116 and fire vehicles will be parked along the road. Smoke will be visible in Greystone and from Highway 318.
Objectives of the Deer Valley Prescribed Fire are to reduce hazardous and accumulated dead material. This will lessen the chance of intense wildland fires that could threaten residences on Douglas Mountain and in Greystone. It will also improve overall forest health and promote the growth of grasses and forbs for wildlife by removing sagebrush
Weather and fuel-moisture conditions will be closely monitored, and the burn will only be initiated if conditions are ideal for effective fires. Each prescribed burn conducted by the Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit has a detailed fire plan developed in advance, along with appropriate smoke permits obtained from the State of Colorado. Prescribed fires are one of many tools public land managers use to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires while improving wildlife habitat and overall forest and range health.
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.
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