South Dakota Field Office
| Contacts: | Contact Mark Jacobsen 406-233-2831 |
BLM to Conduct Prescribed Burns in South Dakota
The Bureau of Land Management plans to conduct prescribed burns in the Fort Meade Recreation Area near Sturgis as weather conditions permit sometime between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30.
Local authorities will be contacted by the BLM prior to any burning taking place.
Two areas are identified for burning. One area includes 650 acres located north of the Fort Meade VA Hospital, State Highway 34 and west of State Highway 79. The other area encompasses 370 acres south of the Fort Meade VA Hospital, east of the Alkali Creek Campground and Interstate 90.
The BLM Back Country Byway will be closed to through traffic while burning is taking place in the southern half of the Fort Meade Recreation Area.
Smoke will likely be visible from Interstate 90, State Highway 34, State Highway 79 and the town of Sturgis-- and will be monitored to minimize impacts to sensitive areas.
These burns are intended to maintain healthy, open park-like stands of Ponderosa Pine; reduce hazardous fuels accumulations and to rejuvenate Bur Oak and other native plant species. The prescribed burn will also improve forage quality by reducing plant litter and cured decadent grasses.
Questions may be directed to South Dakota Field Office Fire Management Specialist, Ryan Larson (605) 210-0284.
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.
South Dakota Field Office 310 Roundup Street Belle Fourche, SD 57717