Newcastle Field Office
| Contacts: | Lesley A. Elser | |||
| 307-261-7603 |
BLM Newcastle Field Office Staff Win National Wild Turkey Federation Award
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Newcastle Field Office’s (NFO) integrated vegetation management group has been awarded the 2013 Making Tracks Partnership Achievement Awards by the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF). Nate West and Tracy Pinter, wildlife biologists, and Bob Means, forester, were the recipients of the award.
 Part of the project where ponderosa pine was cut out to open up the area for aspen regeneration. |
 Fuels specialist Brett Blumhardt standing next to old growth ponderosa pine that has been preserved at Mallo Camp. |
 Tracy Pinter accepting the NWTF award from Dwight Fielder. |
The Making Tracks Awards recognize groups or individuals for their land management efforts on behalf of wild turkeys and other wildlife. The NFO’s integrated vegetation management group (wildlife, forestry and fuels) received the awards for its partnership effort working with Wyoming State Forestry, Wyoming Game and Fish, and NWTF, in the Mallo Camp area, 20 miles north of Newcastle, Wyo. in Weston County.
Mallo Camp is a popular recreation area located in the western Black Hills north of Newcastle, WY. The area attracts visitors from all over Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana.
Over the past several years, the NFO has worked with local partners to treat and remove insect infested timber stands, reduce fire risks, NWTF stands, improve habitat diversity and condition, and reduce invasive species and weed infestations.
Approximately 1500 acres of habitat on state and public lands have been restored to native desirable vegetation communities, and many wildlife species will benefit from the diversity of habitat and regrowth of healthy Ponderosa pine stands including: turkeys, deer, elk, and small game.
Wildfire risks have also been reduced for the Mallo Camp area. This has been a major concern due to numerous recent wildfires in the Newcastle area and proximity to private homes and urban interface zones.
“This long-term collaborative effort with our partners has resulted in the protection of old growth ponderosa pine stands, mitigation of potential impacts from insect and wildfire disturbance, restoration of wildlife habitat and provided economic opportunities to the local community in the form of timber sales and service contracts,” noted Newcastle Field Manager Rick Miller.
Partners that have been critical to the successful habitat restoration work include: Wyoming State Forestry, the local chapter of NWTF, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
For more information, please contact the NFO at 307-746-6600. For more information about the NWTF, visit www.nwtf.org.
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.
Newcastle Field Office 1101 Washington Boulevard Newcastle, WY 82701-2968