| Contacts: | Lynn Barclay, 970-826-5096 |
BLM to conduct controlled burn in western Moffat County (03-23-12)
Moffat County, Colo. –The Bureau of Land Management White River Field Office is planning to burn 525 acres in Moffat County starting Tuesday, March 27th. The Badger Flat project is located approximately 12 miles northwest of Elk Springs on Moffat County Road 14. The project is anticipated to last up to four days depending on weather and fuel conditions.
The purpose of the prescribed burn is to restore suitable habitat for Northern Sage Grouse by reducing pinyon/juniper woodland encroachment into sagebrush communities. It will also reduce the safety risk to responding firefighters by decreasing the amount of live and dead fuel accumulation which will lower intensity in the event of a wildfire.
Smoke will be visible from local county roads during burning operations. Weather and fuel-moisture conditions will be closely monitored, and the burn will only be initiated if conditions are ideal for safe and 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. For more information please contact the White River Field Office at 970-878-3800
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. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue, much of which was shared with the States where the activities occurred. In addition, public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.
220 E. Market Meeker, CO 81641