Billings Field Office
| Contacts: | Contact: Heather O’Hanlon 406-896-2836 |
BLM to Conduct Prescribed Fires This Spring
The Bureau of Land Management is preparing to conduct three hazardous fuels removal projects this spring. The locations of the projects include; Pompey’s Pillar, Sundance Lodge Recreation Area and the area between Horsethief Road and Golf Course Road, approximately six miles west of Roundup. The latter project is called "E-R."
The 50-acre Pompey’s Pillar project and 50-acre Sundance Projects were identified due to the build-up of decadent herbaceous material, the need to control invasive species, and habitat improvement.
The Pillar and Sundance efforts include broadcast burning and should take only one day each as weather permits.
The 700-acre E-R Project was identified as a location with excess hazardous fuels. The goal of this project is to mitigate the impacts of a catastrophic wildfire on the community of Roundup. The location and geography of this project is ideal for a fuel break that will decrease wildfire intensity.
The E-R Project is expected to take at least two days. All project efforts are pending ideal weather conditions.
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.
Billings Field Office 5001 Southgate Drive Billings, MT 59101