Fortymile Caribou Hunt Closed in a Portion of Game Management Unit 20E

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Correction: An earlier version of this news release incorrectly listed the state Fortymile caribou hunt in Unit 25C as closed south of Crooked Creek Fork and south and east of Birch Creek.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska —A portion of the winter federal subsistence hunt for the Fortymile Caribou Herd in Game Management Unit 20E closed on Monday, Dec. 26, 2011, at 11:59 p.m. The closure affects that portion of Unit 20E south of an east–west line passing through Milepost 112.6 (Fortymile Bridge) on the Taylor Highway.

The Bureau of Land Management’s Eastern Interior Field Office Manager Lenore Heppler took this action because of the lack of Fortymile caribou in the area as well as the ready access to Nelchina and Mentasta caribou (the Taylor Highway has remained driveable). The Nelchina quota has already been exceeded, and there is no open season on Mentasta caribou. Consultation on the closure was conducted with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Tok and Glennallen, Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, National Park Service and local subsistence hunters.

The state and federal winter season for Fortymile caribou remains open in Unit 20E north of MP 112.6 on the Taylor Highway. No changes have been made to the Fortymile caribou season in other parts of the hunt area. In Unit 25C all federal lands remain open for federally qualified residents to hunt the Fortymile herd. The state portion of the Fortymile caribou hunt remains open in Unit 25C south of Crooked Creek Fork and south and east of Birch Creek,and south of the Chatanika River drainage in Unit 20B.

For additional information, contact Eastern Interior Field Manager Lenore Heppler at 907-474-2320 or lheppler@blm.gov. The Fortymile Caribou Hotline phone number is (907) 267-2310.

Wrangell-St Elias to begin Fuels Project in McCarthy

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Copper Center, Alaska- The National Park Service Eastern Area Fire Management Program in cooperation with the BLM Alaska Fire Service, Southeast Alaska Guidance Association (SAGA), Morrison Construction, and the State of Alaska will implement a hazard fuels reduction project on NPS and adjacent lands south of the University Subdivision in wildland/urban interface near the town of McCarthy, Alaska Aug. 22 through Sept. 30.

The goal of the project will be to create a hazard fuels buffer between the McCarthy University Subdivision and the NPS parklands that will allow for greater public and firefighter safety in the event of a wildland fire.Crews will fell and buck some of the black and white spruce trees in the project area, and slash will be chipped or piled for later burning. Firewood quality wood will be set aside for later transport to a staging area.This mechanical/manual treatment will not be a "clear cut" fuel break, but rather a thinning of fuels in order to keep fire behavior to a more manageable level. Creation of this space reduces the risk of property damage in the event of a wildland fire, improves safety forvisitors and residents and provides a safe area for fire suppression crews to work.

The BLM Alaska Fire Service will be providing one or more 20-person Interagency Hotshot Crews, as well as other logistical support. The Southeast Alaska Guidance Association-a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve lives, lands, and communities in Alaska through Service learning-will be providing an 8-person service corps crew. Morrison Construction is a local forestry, landscaping, and log home construction firm that was contracted by the National Park Service to do a portion of this work. The State of Alaska contributed to the project by permitting the fuel break across State lands.

The interagency effort will result in 60 acres of thinned forest south of the McCarthy Creek Subdivision on a mix of National Park Service and State of Alaska lands. The fire break created with this project will supplementthe natural fuel breaks of the Kennecott River and McCarthy Creek reducing the risk of wildland fire to the local community.

For additional information, visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/wrst/index.htm or contact the park's public Information Officer at 907-822-7223.

You to can be prepared for wildfire.Practice outdoor safety and take steps to make your home Firewise. Visit www.firewise.org for more information.