U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
High Desert District
High Desert District
| Contacts: | Shelley Gregory | |||
| 307-315-0612 |
Brooks Wildfire Nears Containment
The Brooks Wildfire, 45 miles south of Rock Springs, Wyo., is an estimated 60 percent contained; full containment is expected early Aug. 20.
The wildfire has burned approximately 291 acres, including 89 acres on private land, and continues to smolder and creep with occasional internal single-tree torching.
Eight engines from the Bureau of Land Management High Desert District and Sweetwater County, one helicopter and the Rogue River Hot Shots from Oregon’s Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest are on the incident.
A map of the wildfire is available at here.
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.