Prescribed Burning Planned at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

COMMERCE CITY — Weather permitting, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will be conducting prescribed burning activities on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge beginning Tuesday, October 4^th.  The Service plans to burn up to 564 acres over the next 2-3 weeks.  The burns will be conducted between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Smoke will be visible for several miles from the perimeter of the Refuge and people in the area may smell smoke. The purpose of the burns is to reinvigorate the growth of native prairie vegetation, reduce accumulated litter, manage efforts for weed control and improve habitat to sustain wildlife. Prescribed burns are also an important tool land managers use to reduce the risk of wildfire in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI).

Interagency fire crews from the Service, local fire departments and other federal agencies will be participating in the prescribed burns. Safety is our number one priority and every burn is carefully planned to insure the safety of the surrounding community, the public and the firefighters.

Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information see https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.