10/6/2009 12:20:00 PM Cibola Wildlife Refuge to conduct prescribed burns
Special to the Times
CIBOLA - The United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Cibola National Wildlife Refuge will be conducting a prescribed burn in the month of October, weather permitting, on Fish and Wildlife Service lands. Prescribed burning may begin as early as Oct. 5.
The Refuge is continuing a proactive land management approach by using fire as a management tool.
Piles of vegetation (primarily salt cedar) along the northern boundary of the refuge will be burned to clear areas to permit continued habitat restoration work and reduce the threat of uncontrolled wildfires.
Prescribed burning, conducted under an approved plan with the use of adequate firefighting resources, is the best method to prevent potential loss from a wildfire and an excellent tool for clearing vegetation.
Firefighters from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arizona Fire District will closely monitor weather and fuel conditions to maximize results and minimize smoke impacts on adjacent communities.
Burns will be conducted during the daytime hours with the potential for nighttime smoldering. Nearby roads and communities may be impacted for short time periods. Smoke will likely be visible to residents in Cibola, Palo Verde, Ripley, Blythe and Ehrenberg.
Refuge biologists and fire personnel worked together to develop a plan that will protect endangered species and reduce vegetation that is impeding habitat restoration work.
Prescribed burning treatments generally cost as little as one tenth that of a large scale, wildfire suppression effort. All burn plans are developed using national interagency standards developed by qualified and experienced fire management professionals. The plans are extensively reviewed and must be approved by the Refuge manager prior to ignition.
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, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations.
Visit the Service's Web site at http://www.fws.gov.
Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, October 08, 2009
Article comment by:
PRESCRIBED BURNS KILL CHILDREN
Prescribed burns are deadly to children and elderly: The smoke emitted from prescribed burns and managed wildfires is unfiltered wood smoke that is extremely dangerous to unborn fetuses, infant children and elderly people. Wood smoke pollution is 12 times more carcinogenic than cigarette smoke, attacks the body cells up to 40 times longer, and kills at least 40,000 adults and children every year. We know that when prescribed burns increase, smoke particle levels go up, people die with children and the elderly being the most vulnerable.
Exposure to prescribed burn smoke increase children’s risk of lower respiratory infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and has been linked to psychological disorders and toxic damage to the nervous system and the brain in developing fetuses and
young children. The smoke particles are so tiny that they go deep into the lungs causing structural damage and chemical changes to the child's lung tissue. The tiny particles then pass through the lungs into the blood stream entering the child's systemic circulation causing illness and premature death. Studies show that wood smoke exposure can prevent the proper development of an unborn fetus, prevent the proper development of internal organs in infant children, depress the immune system, damage the nervous system, damage the brain, damage the layer of cells in the child's lungs that protect and cleanse the airways, and cause early childhood death. For more info, visit www.prescribedburns.com
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