Boy Scouts Team-up with BLM to Install New Fire Danger Signs

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Wind River/Bighorn Basin District Office

Release Date: 07/23/09

Contacts:		Sarah Beckwith
		307-347-5207

Boy Scouts Team-up with BLM to Install New Fire Danger Signs

Several local scouts recently teamed-up with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wind River/Bighorn Basin District Fire Crew to install three fire danger rating signs in the area. The new signs can be seen along highways in Lovell, Ten Sleep, and Thermopolis.

Nate Barrus takes his turn digging holes for the sign posts. Also pictured are (L to R) Myles Richards, Chuck Russell (in Bobcat), Tim Barrus, and Sean Hansen.
Brennen Hansen, Sean Hansen, and Andrew Cady ready the cement.
Scouts Nate Barrus, Andrew Cady, and Dane Christoffersen, and BLM Firefighters Zack Irons, Myles Richards, and Chuck Russell stand in front of the finished product.
According to Boy Scout Nate Barrus of Worland, the scouts mixed cement, dug holes, and installed the signs with the help of the BLM firefighters. "My favorite part of the project was getting to travel to Lovell, Ten Sleep, and Thermopolis, and riding around with the firefighters," Nate said. He thought the 6:30 a.m. reporting time at the Worland Field Office was difficult, "but luckily he has a Dad who makes him get up," joked Nate's father, Tim Barrus. Nate is only two merit badges (out of 21) away from earning his Eagle Scout and the fire danger sign project fulfilled a service project requirement towards accomplishing his goal.

"The project was a benefit to the scouts as well as the BLM," said Fire Management Officer Chuck Russell. "The scouts were able to complete a service project and the BLM now has much-needed fire danger signs in place."

Fire danger rating signs are important for fire prevention. "The goal of the signs is to heighten public awareness when fire danger is high, very high, or extreme, and to reduce the number of human-caused fires," Russell said.

The Lovell and Thermopolis Fire Departments are partnering with BLM to change the indices on the signs as fire danger increases and decreases. The signs will also indicate when fire restrictions are in place and provide a phone number for more information.

Other scouts who participated in the service project with Nate were Andrew Cady, Dane and Logan Christoffersen, and Brennen and Sean Hansen.

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The BLM manages more land - over 245 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. 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--

Wind River/Bighorn Basin District Office 101 South 23rd Worland, WY 82401-0119

Last updated: 07-23-2009