Controlled Burn Conducted Outside of Centennial

Pale white and yellow smoke curled over Bald Mountain, about 3 miles from Centennial, as the Laramie Ranger District conducted a prescribed burn in the area.

According to Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest spokesperson Aaron Voos, 190 acres had been the goal for the burn.  However, green conditions and an approaching thunderstorm capped the burn to approximately 100 acres.

This prescribed burn has been two years in the making, Voos says that conditions hadn't

been right until now.  "Things just kind of worked today.  We had a small window, the grass was good and the green-up wasn't so much that we can't burn it."

Voos goes on to say that Wyoming Game and Fish as well as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation were in on the burn as well, as the goal for the burn was to improve habitat for local wildlife.  "Our goal is to keep more elk and deer wintering on the National Forest so there's less impact on private lands during the winter months," says Voos.  "There hasn't been a natural fire in this area in a long time.  So the grass has built up and become matted.  It needs to be cleared out so that new forage can grow for those big game herds."

Last year the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest was hit with serious fires last year, southwest of Bald Mountain, in the Sheep Mountain area.  Voos says that so far, forecasters are calling for a normal fire season, citing moisture received in the area during April and early May, but goes on to say that the area still needs early summer rains.