The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will begin black lining a 13 mile area around a burn unit prescribed to treat approximately 4,756 acres of grassland habitats within the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge beginning at midnight tonight. The burn site is located 8 miles east of Interstate 25, 1 mile south of Highway 60 and approximately 14 miles northeast of Socorro, New Mexico. The official coordinates are Township 2N, Range 3E, Sections 2, 3, and 4. Hand crews will be utilized to ignite an area that is surrounded by natural and physical barriers preventing fire spread. The fire may last several days and at times, large amounts of smoke and flames will be visible from the area, especially at night. Operations will be managed by a contingency of ground fire management resources from several federal, state and local agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the New Mexico State Land Department.
The objectives of this burn are as follows:
To protect and enhance wildlife, plant and habitat resources within the Middle Rio Grande Ecosystem including strategies that benefit native flora and fauna, neotropical migratory birds, and other species of concern.
To increase public understanding and awareness of the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge and the Middle Rio Grande Ecosystem through effective interpretation initiatives.
Public access to the burn unit area is not permitted. However, individuals seeking more information may access the Refuge visitors center by taking exit 169 from Interstate 25 during the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Operations will be conducted in accordance to a Prescribed Burn Plan that includes fire behavior and weather prescriptions intended to ensure that the fire will be safely contained within the burn unit and that smoke generated by the fire will not impact smoke sensitive areas. The fire will be monitored through completion by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that all objectives are met.
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 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 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.
