BLM Logo
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Lewistown Field Office
 
Release Date: 01/12/12
Contacts: Craig Flentie 406-538-1943    

BLM Seeks Public Comment on Fuels Reduction in the Musselshell Breaks

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is inviting public comments concerning hazardous fuel reduction efforts in the Musselshell Breaks area (an area beginning roughly 14 miles north and east of Winnett, MT). 

The BLM is in the early stages of preparing the Musselshell Breaks Treatment Environmental Assessment, which will analyze prescribed burning and/or mechanical thinning as means of reducing hazardous fuel buildup.  The objectives of this effort are to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire in a landscape with an increasing number of homes or cabins; to reduce stand density; reduce stand encroachment on sage and grass land; and reduce the probability of a stand replacing wildlife event. 

“The treatment area includes about 18,415 acres of BLM, state and private lands.  There are quite a few smaller parcels in this area that are privately owned and we certainly hope these landowners will take the time to share their ideas and concerns about hazardous fuels,” according to project lead Josh Barta, a BLM fuels specialist in Lewistown.

If you have questions, comments or ideas about this fuels-reduction project, please submit them to Josh Barta, 920 NE Main, Lewistown, MT 59457 or call him at (406) 538-1971.  Comments would be most useful if received by February 17, 2012.

Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time.  While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. 

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.
--BLM--

Lewistown Field Office   920 NE Main Street      Lewistown, MT 59457  

Last updated: 06-28-2012