(Las Cruces, NM) During the week of March 26 to April 1, 2001, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, in conjunction with the Department of Defense, White Sands Missile Range, will be preparing for a 10,000 acre prescribed burn prescribed burn
A prescribed burn is the controlled use of fire to restore wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire risk, or achieve other habitat management goals. We have been using prescribed burn techniques to improve species habitat since the 1930s.
Learn more about prescribed burn scheduled for late May-early June, 2001. The prescribed burn unit is located on the San Andres National Wildlife Refuge, approximately 14 miles northeast of Las Cruces, New Mexico within the boundaries of White Sands Missile Range. The area is not open to the public.
In preparation for the main burn, fire crews will begin black lining the primary fire unit by burning fuels along the inside of the burn unit edge creating a protective barrier. The black line operation will last several days and may result in large amounts of smoke and flame which may be visible in the area, especially at night.
The fire will be managed by a large contingency of ground and aerial fire fighting resources from several Federal agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Defense and the Bureau of Land Management.
The following are the primary benefits of the prescribed fire on the San Andres National Wildlife Refuge:
. Restoration of habitat for the State endangered desert bighorn sheep on the refuge. The burn will increase available habitat as well as increase the quantity and quality of the forage available for the bighorn and other species.2. Reduction of fuels to prevent catastrophic wildfires due to past fire suppression. The prescribed fire will reduce woody species such as pinyon and juniper on the Refuge, and by increasing native grasses it will ultimately decrease soil erosion.
Conditions permitting, ignition will occur in accordance to a Prescribed Burn Plan that includes fire behavior and weather prescriptions intended to insure that the fire will be safely contained within the burn unit and that the smoke generated by the fire will not impact smoke sensitive areas.
During the May to June event, members of the public interested in more information are welcome to visit the San Andres Refuge headquarters at Highway 70 and Santa Gertrudes Road, just east of the Las Cruces city limit. A sign indicating the location of the office will be located on Highway 70.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
Reporters: An "online almanac" of refuge information for journalists and filmmakers, including public domain photos, the history of the system, a timeline of recent events, and a wide variety of background information, is available at http://refuges100.fws.gov">.
