With weather returning to a more normal seasonal pattern, bringing rain showers, higher humidity, and cooler temperatures, fire danger in much of Alaska is reduced. As a result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is removing the open burning restrictions recently imposed on nine of the sixteen national wildlife refuges in Alaska. The public lands affected are Arctic, Innoko, Kanuti, Kenai, Koyukuk, Nowitna, Selawik and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuges.
4ptCentered 4ptCentered The removal of open fire restrictions takes effect today: Wednesday, July 28, 2004. 4ptCenteredclass=MsoCommentText" LAYOUT-GRID-MODE: lineHowever, the Service is working with other federal and state agencies to remind the public that fire dangers still exist. Even though the ground surface may appear wet, the underling layers of vegetation and forest duff remain dry. If this hidden dry layer catches fire, it can, under the right conditions, spread rapidly and ignite surface fires. To prevent this, make sure that camp and recreational fires are completely out. Remember, a single small ember can burn for many days when cradled in dry material under a moist surface layer.
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class=MsoCommentTextVisitors to the National Wildlife Refuge System still should take precautions in using open burning. Employ designated sites or an approved containment device whenever possible. Be cautious in windy conditions; blowing sparks can ignite nearby dry material. When you?re ready to leave your fire, mix and stir the burning fuel with water and mineral soil, then check that the fire is completely out and no heat remains.
4ptCentered 4ptCentered It is still prohibited to: 4ptCentered 4ptCentered ; Process, discharge or use any kind of fireworks or pyrotechnic device on refuge lands. 4ptCentered 4ptCentered ; Operate or use any internal combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order. 4ptCentered 4ptCentered ; Leave a fire unattended, or without first completely extinguishing it. 4ptCentered 4ptCentered ; Allow a fire to escape from control. 4ptCentered 4ptCentered Many wildfires are still burning on, or in the vicinity of, the national wildlife refuges of Alaska; although not with the intensity they once did. Visitors should watch for smoke and be aware of weather conditions before traveling in the back country. We encourage everyone to have a safe and memorable experience on their national wildlife refuge national wildlife refugeA national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge lands. 4ptCentered
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class=MsoCommentText" LAYOUT-GRID-MODE: lineWith a total of more than 4.5 million acres burned statewide, this has been, to date, the second largest season ever for acres burned. (The summer of 2004 may yet surpass the largest recorded seasonal burn, in 1957, when 5,049,661 acres were consumed.) It's important to remember, however, that many of these fires, where there is no threat to human life or property, are managed and allowed to burn so they can fulfill their natural role in the Alaska wilds. Much of Alaska is a fire-dependent ecosystem, and relies on occasional burns to guarantee diverse and productive plant and wildlife communities.
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The State of Alaska burn ban is expected to be lifted in the near future.
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 542 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource 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 Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
center 3.65inFor more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
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