BLM conducting mechanical vegetation treatments to improve wildlife habitat in Barrett Ridge area
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RAWLINS, Wyo. – The Bureau of Land Management Rawlins Field Office is coordinating with the Saratoga-Encampment-Rawlins Conservation District and other partners to conduct mechanical vegetation treatments on about 1,700 acres of the west slope of Barrett Ridge in southeast Carbon County, near Bennett Peak Road (BLM Road 3404). Other partners on this shared conservation project include the Wyoming Game and Fish Department Platte Valley Mule Deer Habitat Partnership, Muley Fanatics Southeast Wyoming Chapter, Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation and the Governor’s Big Game License Coalition.
By working together on stewardship and conservation, we can keep our local public lands healthy and protect seasonal habitat for the area’s important wildlife including mule deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep and Greater Sage-Grouse. This work will also help prevent wildfires in the area by removing vegetation that burns quickly and can exacerbate fires.
Current work is scheduled through November 30. To treat the area, the BLM and our partners will remove encroaching conifer species, mainly Rocky Mountain juniper, from habitats in and around the North and South Corral Creek drainages using mechanized equipment. Work will continue during summer 2019.
Safety is always a top priority of BLM, and we urge the public to use caution and maintain a generous distance from the operations when traveling through the area. The treatments will involve heavy logging equipment, which can throw debris up to 200 feet.
For more details, please contact Chris Otto, BLM High Desert District Fire Management Specialist, at 307-328-4250, or Joe Parsons, SERCD District Conservationist, at 307-326-8156. For more information about BLM Wyoming, please visit https://www.blm.gov/wyoming.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.