Billings Field Office
| Contacts: | Mary Apple 406-896-5258 |
BLM to Conduct Prescribed Burns In Yellowstone County
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Billings Field Office will conduct two prescribed burns the week of April 25, 2011, provided weather conditions, such as wind and relative humidity, are within the prescription window.
The first burn will begin Tuesday, April 26, at the Sundance Lodge agricultural area. The burn will be conducted in several areas, possibly totaling 342 acres. The goal of the Sundance Lodge project is to remove old vegetative growth, clean vegetative debris from the ditches to facilitate irrigation, and stimulate forage and browse growth for wildlife in decadent pasture areas.
The second burn will be in the Pompey’s Pillar area east of Billings. The purpose of this burn is to remove old agricultural and wildlife food plot debris and the previous season’s growth in irrigation ditches, as well as stimulate new growth of forage and browse for wildlife in decadent pasture areas. This burn will also eliminate weed species seeds and help prepare the farmland for tillage. It will take place later this week, weather permitting.
For more information about this prescribed fire project, please call Billings Interagency Dispatch Center at (406-896-2900).
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