NPS - National Park Service

01/07/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/07/2025 09:10

Fire Management Plan public commenting

Date:
January 7, 2025

Gunnison, Colo. - The National Park Service (NPS) is preparing a fire management plan (FMP) and its associated environmental assessment (EA) for Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (BLCA) and Curecanti National Recreation Area (CURE). The NPS is seeking public input on the plan's EA from January 7, 2025, through February 6, 2025.

The parks' FMP was last updated in 2006 (DataStore - Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area Fire Management Plan and NEPA Documents (nps.gov)). Please visit the link for the 2006 Fire Management Plan, Environmental Assessment, and Fire Management Units.

As part of its mission, the NPS Wildland Fire Program manages wildland fire and fuel treatments to protect the public, park communities, and infrastructure; conserve natural and cultural resources; and maintain and restore natural ecosystem processes. The 2008 NPS Directors Orders #18 require each park unit with burnable vegetation to have an approved fire management plan (FMP). The 2022 Wildland Fire Management A-123 Program Review determined the BLCA and CURE 2006 FMP did not meet the requirements outlined in the 2014 Department of Interior FMP Framework and must be updated and approved. An updated FMP is needed to ensure BLCA and CURE's fire management planning is consistent with NPS policy, current conditions, and will continue to provide for fire personnel and public safety, protect park values and resources, and remain consistent with the parks' resource management objectives.

The proposed plan would provide a framework and parkwide guidelines for the management of all wildfires, regardless of cause, size, or complexity. The plan would provide guidance on the use of prescribed fire and non-fire fuels treatments (e.g., manual, mechanical, herbicide) to reduce fuel loads and accomplish resource protection objectives. The plan would provide for fire personnel and public safety, consider the ecological benefits of wildfire, and promote communication and engagement with interested parties on fire-related activities.

Proposed FMP Goals and Objectives

  • Minimize risk to employees, responders, and the public during every fire management activity.
  • Minimize adverse fire effects and impacts to highly valued resources and assets within and surrounding the park units.
  • Foster and maintain a wildland fire management program that aligns with the parks' core purposes and promotes values of shared stewardship and collaboration.
  • Promote ecological and social conditions that create, maintain, or restore fire-resilient landscapes.
  • Protect natural and cultural resources, including species federally listed under the Endangered Species Act.
  • Maintain communication and engagement with the public, bordering agencies, and tribes on fire-related issues and activities.
Issues and Concerns to be addressed in the FMP and EA
  • Protection of human health and safety, property, and infrastructure.
  • Climate change.
  • Natural ecosystem processes.
  • Vegetation management, including control of non-native invasive plants.
  • Impacts to wilderness character.
  • Impacts on water quality and aquatic species.
  • Impacts to ESA-listed Gunnison sage-grouse and wolves.
  • Aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention.
  • Unintended effects to bordering entities and jurisdictions.
  • Use of mechanical fuels reductions and use of herbicides to reduce fuel loads.
Public participation is an important element of the planning process, and we welcome your comments, concerns, issues, suggestions, and potential references for consideration. You are invited to submit comments on the FMP EA, including the alternatives, topics addressed, and analysis within the EA document. Comments that provide relevant and new information with sufficient detail are most useful.

Please post comments online to the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/BLCACUREFMP2024 or mail comments to:

Superintendent, Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP and Curecanti NRA Attn: Fire Management Plan EA 102 Elk Creek Gunnison, Colorado 81230

Comments will not be accepted except as specified above. Bulk comments in any format (hard copy or electronic) submitted on behalf of others will not be accepted. Please note that your entire comment, including your personal information, may be made publicly available at any time. You can request that we withhold your personal identifying information from public view, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Please provide public comments by February 6, 2025.

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