Indent2; The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service will begin the first phase of a 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 on Tuesday, April 6 east of Interstate 25 on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in Socorro County , conditions permitting.
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Indent2; About 1,000 acres will be ignited in the first of a two-part burn plan. The Palo Duro Canyon burn unit encompasses 14,739 acres and is located at the southwest end of the Los Pinos Mountains , 12 miles east of the Refuge headquarters and 10 miles south of Highway 60. The first phase will be along the south and east perimeter of the unit and will secure the area for the larger burn scheduled for late spring or early summer .
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Indent2; The vegetation is comprised mostly of Chihuahuan desert shrublands and sacaton, a type of bunch grass.
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Indent2; Bureau of Land Management fire personnel will assist Service crews in the operation. Five staff from the Fire Module at Balcones National Wildlife Refuge, a sister refuge in Texas, will also be assisting.
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Indent2; Using hand held drip torches, fire will be introduced into this area to remove decadent vegetation and facilitate the recycle of nutrients into the soil. Fire will also serve as a control to check the encroachment of woody species onto the grasslands. This will be a short duration fire of moderate to high fire intensity producing smoke that will be visible at times from the Rio Grande Valley and Interstate 25.
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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 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 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 Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
