Rawlins Field Office
| Contacts: | Shelley Gregory | |||
| 307-315-0612 |
BLM Issues Ferris Mountain Prescribed Fire Treatment and
Management of Unplanned Ignitions Decision
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rawlins Field Office (RFO) is issuing the finding of no significant impact (FONSI) and decision record (DR) for the environmental assessment (EA) of the 42,576 acre Ferris Mountain prescribed fire project as well as management of unplanned ignitions.
The BLM, along with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Saratoga-Encampment-Rawlins Conservation District, plans to conduct a multi-phase prescribed fire treatment on approximately 12,500 to 22,000 acres of federal, state, and private lands within the project area over a 10 to 20-year period.
The project area is approximately 30 miles north of Rawlins, Wyo. The majority of the proposed treatments will occur within the Ferris Mountain Wilderness Study Area and include the Bar Eleven #10205, Buzzard #10201, Cherry Creek #10103, Ferris Mountain #10207, Muddy Creek Pasture #02027, Pole Mountain #10215 and Stone #10221 grazing allotments.
The prescribed fires will reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfire by eliminating existing fuel loads, creating natural fuel breaks, rejuvenating decadent aspen communities and improving upland vegetative health and diversity. The Ferris Mountain project area is a popular recreation and hunting destination and includes antelope, elk, mule deer, and bighorn sheep crucial winter ranges which will benefit from the treatment.
The EA, FONSI, and DR are available for viewing in the RFO public information room at 1300 N. Third St., Rawlins, Wyo. These documents are in full force and effect and their issuance today initiates a 15-day protest period. To a file a protest, a written statement of reason must be mailed, facsimiled, or delivered during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) to:
Dennis Carpenter, Field Manager
BLM Rawlins Field Office
1300 N. Third St.
Rawlins, WY 82301
Facsimile: 307-328-4224
To learn more about the Ferris Mountain prescribed fire project area, please visit http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Fire/rxfire/highdesert/ferris.html.
For more information, contact Andy Warren, supervisory rangeland management specialist, at 307-328-4271 or Mike Murry, rangeland management specialist, at 307-328-4253.
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.
Rawlins Field Office 1300 N. Third St. Rawlins, WY 82301