PINEDALE — The Bureau of Land Management’s High Desert District plans to conduct a prescribed burn this spring on land managed by the Pinedale field office.

In May and June, 120 acres of vegetation will be targeted 13 miles northwest of La Barge. The burn is part of the Wyoming Range Mule Deer Habitat Project developed as part of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Wyoming Range Mule Deer Initiative. It reduces hazardous fuels in the woodland urban interface and improves vegetation conditions in crucial mule deer winter range, transition range, and fawning ranges.

Prescribed burn treatments follow stringent authorization and permitting procedures when implemented by the BLM. An environmental review incorporating project design features and mitigation measures is conducted before a burn is implemented. A prescribed burn plan emphasizing public and firefighter safety is followed, but any activity involving vegetation treatments still has risks. The High Desert District BLM Fire and Fuels resources may also take part in additional treatment to assist partner agencies and landowners.

Smoke may be visible from relatively long distances but should dissipate rapidly due to the time of year and weather expectations. Hunters, recreationists, and other public land users are urged to be aware of project areas and prescribed fire operations.

For more information, contact HDD Fire Management Officer Mark Randall at (307)231-9092 or Fuels AFMO Chris Otto at (307)328-4250.