Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge will conduct prescribed burns

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge will conduct prescribed burns today and Saturday.

Recent weather conditions have presented an opportunity for wildland fire staff to conduct much needed burns in several small units located near Lake Elmer Thomas Dam and on private lands along the western edge of the Refuge near Charon’s Garden Wilderness Area, according to a press release.

For the safety of the public and refuge staff, traffic control will be employed as necessary until the project is completed, potentially causing delays for refuge visitors and local residents. The refuge will make every attempt to keep closures at a minimum in areas that are directly impacted by the daily scope of work. Smoke will likely be visible from a great distance during the burn. After completion, residual smoke may persist in the area for a few days. The burn areas are closed to the public during fire operations and visitors must not enter areas with fires underway, according to a press release.

Prescribed burns are implemented under a strict set of guidelines and weather parameters to provide for public and firefighter safety and to limit potential smoke impacts to residents and visitors in the area. Burns will take place when wind conditions will avoid sending smoke into populated or smoke sensitive areas. If predicted and actual weather conditions do not meet the prescribed plan parameters, the burns will be rescheduled.

If necessary, further road closure information will be available on the Refuge website at: www.fws.gov/refuge/wichita_mountains, Facebook, or by contacting the Refuge Visitor Center at 580-429-2197.