BLM Plans Little Red Creek Prescribed Fire

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
High Desert District

Release Date: 09/13/12

Contacts:		Shelley Gregory,
		307-315-0612

BLM Plans Little Red Creek Prescribed Fire

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) High Desert District (HDD), in coordination with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the Mule Deer Fanatics Foundation, is planning a 1,000 acre prescribed fire in the Little Red Creek drainage at the intersection of the Wyoming, Colorado and Utah borders 59 miles southeast of Rock Springs, Wyo.

Optimal burn conditions are anticipated in mid-September to mid-October contingent upon fuel moisture and weather. Operations will take an estimated two to three days and hunters and recreationists are advised to avoid the area during firing operations.

The project area is located south of Telephone Canyon with the Tepee Mountains to the west and Pine Mountain to the east. The area is historically moderately grazed with water available from Red Creek and numerous ponds. However, due in part to drought conditions and fire exclusion, fuel accumulation and shrub encroachment into aspen stands has diminished the drainage’s water supply and decreased overall eco-system vitality.

The prescribed fire will burn juniper and conifer stands in a mosaic pattern to reduce hazardous fuel loading, improve watershed condition for wildlife and fisheries habitat, decrease sagebrush and juniper competition with aspen, mountain shrubs and native grasses, deter juniper and conifer encroachment into aspen stands while stimulating new aspen growth, and improve forage for ungulates within the Little Red Creek drainage.

For more information, please contact Michael Barajas, HDD fuels specialist, at 307-352-4376.

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. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue, much of which was shared with the States where the activities occurred. In addition, public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.

--BLM--

High Desert District 280 Highway 191 North Rock Springs, WY 82901

Last updated: 09-13-2012