Yellowstone Begins Effort To Update Fire Management Plan

Fire is an important natural force which continues to shape and impact Yellowstone National Park. But it also has the potential to impact visitors, area residents, and historic structures. Decisions on how to manage wildland fires in Yellowstone are guided by the park's Fire Management Plan. The park is seeking to update its Fire Management Plan to reflect recent changes in federal fire policy.

The first step in updating the plan and creating a new Environmental Assessment is to ask the public to help identify issues that the park staff should consider. This process, known as public scoping, is now open and runs through December 20, 2011. Under consideration is an approach where a greater emphasis on fire suppression might be placed in park developed areas, while leaving managers a broader range of fire management strategies in order to meet park objectives across most of Yellowstone. Additional details on the proposal and an electronic form to submit comments on the internet can be found at the National Park Service's Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yell, or by writing to Fire Management Plan, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190.

In order to answer questions about the proposed Fire Management Plan update and the process of creating an Environmental Assessment, park staff members will host a public meeting during the scoping period. The meeting is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 6, 2011. It will be held in the Barling Room of the Park County Courthouse in Cody, Wyoming. The park is considering holding additional public meetings during this planning process. Park staff members will analyze the scoping comments and spend the coming months writing the Environmental Assessment, which is expected to be released for public review and comment sometime during spring 2012. A final decision and plan is expected to be completed during summer 2012.

Written comments may be submitted through the PEPC website, in person, or by mail. Comments will not be accepted over the phone, by fax, or e-mail. All public comments must be received or postmarked by midnight MST, December 20, 2011.