Interagency fire crews plan pile burning in Bridgeport Valley
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BISHOP, Calif. – Interagency fire crews with the Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office and the Inyo National Forest will be conducting pile burning operations over the next week in Bridgeport Valley, Mono County, as weather and air quality conditions allow.
Slash piles, composed of limbs, branches and downed trees, will be burned on approximately 240 acres of BLM-administered public land located between the Lower Summers Meadow and Green Creek roads, about 1.5 miles west of Highway 395 and 5.5 miles south of Bridgeport. Burn updates will be available on BLM California's Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/BLMca.
Prescribed burns help eliminate hazardous fuels, reduce the risk of severe wildland fire and increase firefighter and public safety. The prescribed burns planned for the southern Bridgeport Valley are also designed to improve habitat conditions for sage-grouse and migratory mule deer.
Smoke is expected to be visible from Bridgeport, Conway Summit, Conway Ranch Estates, Lee Vining, June Mountain, Highway 395 and Virginia Lakes Road. The public is advised to never drive into smoke, which may obscure a driver’s view of the road. Please do not congregate to watch burn activities and be aware of fire equipment and vehicles on the roads.
The BLM is committed to keeping public lands healthy and productive. All prescribed fire operations are conducted in close coordination with the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District.
For more information, please call Heather Stone at the Bishop Field Office, 760-873-2400.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.