PINEDALE, Wyo. – In support of the administration’s goals of conservation stewardship, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will conduct two prescribed fires between June and July on public lands administered by the High Desert District’s Pinedale Field Office. Fire operations will begin only when conditions are favorable for a safe and effective burn.

The Pine Grove prescribed fire project is located approximately 15 miles northwest of La Barge and consists of 53 acres of slash and standing conifer. The Burdick prescribed fire project is located approximately 13 miles west of La Barge, on the east face of Miller Mountain, south of the La Barge Creek drainage. There are 470 acres of slash and standing conifer targeted to burn on the Burdick prescribed fire project.

These controlled burns are part of the Wyoming Range Mule Deer Habitat Project, developed with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Wyoming Range Mule Deer Initiative in 2011. The purpose is to improve vegetation conditions in crucial mule deer winter range, transition range and fawning ranges. Prescribed fires reduce conifer where it is encroaching on native aspen stands and stimulates new aspen growth. It is a beneficial management tool used to replicate natural wildfire, and can help return the ecosystem to its natural composition and healthiest function.

Fire crews will implement a number of burning tactics to start and control the burns. Smoke will be visible to the public during the operations. For public safety, fire crews will remain on scene and monitor the burn areas afterward to ensure the fire is completely out. For more information, contact Mark Randall at (307) 367-5350 or visit the Pinedale Field Office located at 1625 West Pine Street in Pinedale. For more information about BLM Wyoming, please visit www.blm.gov/wyoming.