2003

Bandelier National Monument

Student Conservation Association Assists with Fuels, Education Efforts
This year Bandelier National Monument had two teams through the SCA Fire Education Corps, one focused on fuels reduction, while the other assisted the community with FIREWISE techniques.

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site

National Historic Site Assists Local Fire Departments
The National Park Service (NPS), in conjunction with Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, recently provided funding for rural fire assistance to three rural fire districts. La Junta, Rocky Ford and Las Animas districts received a total of $10,000.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Fire Information/Education Seasonal Makes Community Successes
The purpose of the Fire Information/Education seasonal position was to educate visitors and local residents to the
importance of fire management, both from an ecological and safety point of view.

Buffalo National River

Buffalo National River Recognized for Fire Management
In the first year of eligibility, Buffalo National River became the recipient of an annual Midwest Region Fire Management Award.

Canaveral National Seashore

Scrub Jay Prescribed Fire Meets Goals
On February 21st the park conducted its first prescribed burn to restore openings and reduce the height of the canopy.

Cape Lookout National Seashore

Conservation Lab Helps after Hurricane Isabel
Conservators from the National Park Service Harpers Ferry Center Conservation Lab spent two days helping neighboring Down East residents on Harkers Island who suffered property loss as a result of hurricane Isabel.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Contract Fuel Reduction Project
An innovative and unique contract fuel reduction treatment program that began in Cedar Breaks National Monument in the fall of 2002 is nearing completion in July 2003.

Cowpens National Battlefield

Work On-going to Return Battlefield to 1781 Appearance
In 2002, as part of the Healthy Forests Initiative, Cowpens National Battlefield began a mechanical fuel reduction as the first phase of returning the battlefield to a safe condition and to its 1781 appearance.

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

National Recreation Area Assists Local Fire Departments
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, in cooperation with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, purchased eleven high-volume (500 gpm) portable pumps for donation to eleven local volunteer fire departments.

El Malpais National Monument

Park Assists Cibola County Volunteer Fire Department
For the third consecutive year, El Malpais National Monument assisted three of Cibola County's Volunteer Fire Departments in purchasing fire-fighting equipment.

Fort Davis National Historic Site

Fort Davis Volunteer Fire Department Receives National Park Service Grant
Fort Davis Volunteer Fire Department (FDVFD) received a $5,000 grant through the United States Department of the Interior and Fort Davis National Historic Site (NHS) under the Rural Fire Assistance Program for the third consecutive year.

Fort Laramie National Historic Site

VFD Receives Assistance
The National Park Service, in conjunction with Fort Laramie National Historic Site, recently provided funding through the Rural Fire Assistance Program to the Fort Laramie Volunteer Fire Department.

Fort Union National Monument

Rural Fire Assistance Provided
The National Park Service (NPS), in conjunction with Fort Union National Monument , recently provided funding for rural fire assistance for the third consecutive year to the Watrous Volunteer Fire Department.

Glacier National Park

Tours Give Community Members Understanding of Fire Ecology
Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest seized the opportunity to work together and explain the fire season to the public by giving an overview of suppression actions taken and placing the fires within both a historical and ecological context.

Interagency Prevention Education Specialist Assists Park and Local Community
Contract employee, Jean Tabbert, had an extremely busy and productive season during the 2003 fire season at Glacier National Park.

Golden Spike National Historic Site

National Park Service Provides Funding for Rural Fire Assistance
The National Park Service (NPS), in conjunction with Golden Spike National Historic Site, recently provided $34,000 in rural fire assistance funding to fire departments in Box Elder County.

Grand Canyon National Park

Fire Prevention and Education Funding Finances Grand Canyon Projects
Grand Canyon National Park was awarded $28,000 of Fire Prevention and Education funding in FY 2003. The money allowed them to complete a Wildland Fire Risk Analysis of the park's Wildland-Urban Interface, and to create and manufacture two defensible space interpretive signs.

Grand Teton National Park

Fire Ecology Workshop
Local educators and interagency personnel participated in the first area Project Learning Tree Fire Ecology Workshop in January 2003, learning about the role of fire in ecosystems and the use of fire to manage natural areas.

Ske-Cology Workshop
Teton interagency personnel teamed up with Wyoming's Project Learning Tree and the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort to expand the ski area's Ske-Cology program. The workshop also included a field session. Accompanying natural resource agency personnel shared information about local geology, plant life, and fire ecology.

Intermountain Region Award
The fire management programs at Grand Teton National Park and Zion National Park received special recognition at the Intermountain Region Fire Management Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico in January 2003.

Fire Education Display at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort teamed up with local interagency fire personnel to create a fire education display at the popular ski area.

Teton County Workshop
The Teton County Cooperative Extension Service hosted their annual Lawn and Garden Workshop last month in Jackson, Wyoming. This year's workshop included both a session and a display addressing wildland fire.

Public Scoping Open House
Park officials are preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) in support of an updated fire management plan. The park's present fire management plan was last updated in 1991 and is being revised to reflect changes in federal fire management and resource protection policies.

Fire Effects School Program
Kelly Elementary School 4th and 5th grade students continued their studies of fire ecology this month, working with the Teton Interagency Fire Effects crew to revisit plots installed last year in the Kelly Prescribed Burn unit.

Interagency All Fire Days
The 4th annual Interagency All Fire Days training was held on Saturday, June 21st near Granite Creek in Teton County. The day-long event gave fire personnel an opportunity to promote partnerships through cross training and active participation in wildland fire and urban interface drills.

SCA Community Outreach
With the smell of fried chicken lingering in the air, two local Student Conservation Association (SCA) interns took the opportunity to use an annual community event as a forum to encourage homeowners to assess defensible space around their homes.

Community Fuels Project Removes 23 Tons of Debris
Residents of the Snow King Estates and Ridge subdivisions in Jackson, WY were part of a community fuels reduction project in August, removing 23 tons of debris from private property.

International Audience Learns about Fire Program
A recent U.S. Study Tour brought technical experts from Central Africa to visit U.S. national park and forest areas in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and allowed local land managers an opportunity to spotlight the interagency fire management program to an international audience.

WUI Funding Enhances Fire Education and Information
Grand Teton National Park's fire education and information efforts were enhanced during the 2003 season through wildland-urban interface funding, allowing local fire managers to augment public outreach techniques and products.

Blacktail Fire Burn Area Serves as Learning Lab
Two groups of Jackson Elementary School second graders used the Blacktail Fire burn area as a location to conduct field observations in October, practicing their skills in prediction, comparing and contrasting, and critical thinking.

Fire Management Participates in "Young Women and Science" Grand Teton National Park's Fire Management Office participated in the Teton Science School's "Young Women and Science" program in November, leading an afternoon session in the week- long course. The program, targeting ninth-grade female students from around the country, drew participants from Wyoming, Nebraska, Utah, Montana, and Vermont.

Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve

Funding Provided through Rural Fire Assistance
The Mosca-Hooper and Baca Grande (Colorado) Volunteer Fire Departments each received $10,000 in Rural Fire Assistance funding awarded through Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Rural Fire Assistance Helps Gatlinburg Fire Department
The Gatlinburg Fire Department got an assortment of new fire fighting equipment in late July 2003, courtesy of a federal grant through their neighbors at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site

2003 Prevention/Education and Community Education Program
Earlier this year, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site presented a $5000.00 grant to their community partner, the Ganado Fire District. The Fire District is very active in the community and continually conducts a significant and widespread community education and fire prevention program throughout the year aimed at school age children and adults.

2003 Rural Fire Assistance Program
Through the National Fire Plan, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site received a $7000.00 Rural Fire Assistance Grant. The park worked with their community partner, Ganado Fire District...

Intermountain Region

Academy Graduates Wildland Engine Trainees
Instructors from the New Mexico State Forestry Division, the New Mexico Firefighters Training Academy and the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service recently sent NPS employees home with certificates as Engine Operators and Engine Boss fulfilling a training need within the Region.

Lake Meredith National Recreation Area

Salt Cedar Eradication Program Succeeding in Texas
During FY00 to FY02 seasons, a 4-person Salt Cedar Reduction Crew treated a total of 832 acres of post-prescribed fire lands and 1,444 acres of mechanically treated lands, totaling 2,286 acres combined. Additionally, 1,500 acres of salt cedar is scheduled for burning and chemical treatment from FY03 to FY05.

Volunteer Fire Departments Receive Rural Fire Assistance
Through the Department of the Interior Rural Fire Assistance Program, the Fritch Volunteer Fire Department, Dumas Volunteer Fire Department, and Potter County Volunteer Fire Department are recipients of $3,000, $7,000, and $9000 grants.

Group Completes '03 Prescribed Burns
The Southern Plains Fire Park Group, under the direction of Fire Management Officer Mike Davin, has completed a series of prescribed burns during FY03 at Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, and Lake Meredith National Recreation Area.

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

Johnson City and Stonewall Volunteer Fire Departments Receive Equipment through RFA
For the third year in a row the Johnson City Volunteer Fire Department and the Stonewall Volunteer Fire Department have received grants from the National Park Service's Rural Fire Assistance Program to purchase wildland fire equipment.

Mammoth Cave National Park

Mammoth Cave NP Donates to Local VFDs
In 2003, eight volunteer fire departments in the vicinity of Mammoth Cave National Park received $54,440 in firefighting gear and equipment from the park through the Rural Fire Assistance Program.

Onyx Meadows Greens After Burn
On April 14, firefighters successfully set and burned 408 acres at Onyx Meadows in the Mammoth Cave National Park. This was the park’s third prescribed fire in two years.

Mesa Verde National Park

Relationship with Park Neighbors Benefits Fire Management
During 2003, Mesa Verde National Park's neighboring communities received Rural Fire Assistance, in return, they assisted the park during the Balcony House Complex.

Northeast Regional Office

National Capital Regional Office and Interagency Partners
The Virginia Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (VMAC) received this year's Pulaski Award.

Northeast Region Sponsors Introduction to Incident Information, S-203, Class
Twenty-five people successfully completed the basic class for incident information officers held in March, 2003 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Integrated Technology Assists Nearby Communities at Risk
Thus far, nearly 1,300 structures in the Van Buren, Jadwin, and Timber (Missouri) rural fire department jurisdictions have been mapped.

Pecos National Historical Park

Two Volunteer Fire Departments Receive Assistance
This year Pecos VFD and Rowe VFD received Rural Fire Assistance funding to help with equipment needs.

Petroglyph National Monument

National Park Service Presents Fire Program to
Boys & Girls Club
On June 24, the Boys & Girls Club of Pine Hill/Ramah, Arizona welcomed National Park Ranger Lola Henio and others for a program about fire and firefighting.

Pipe Spring National Monument

Hazard Fuels Reduction Reduces Threat within Park
The six-acre Pipe Spring Hazard Fuels Reduction Project consisted of the mechanical removal of material in and around park residences, maintenance buildings and historic structures that could pose a significant fire risk in the event of a wildland fire.

Redwood National and State Parks

Redwood Uses Prescribed Fire to Manage Cultural Landscapes
Since 1992, the Prescribed Fire Program at Redwood National and State Parks has successfully put fire back in the prairies and oak woodlands at the landscape level. Currently, there are 28 prairie and oak woodland burn units in the parks totaling about 4300 acres.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Rural Fire Assistance Given to Four Local Fire Departments
Rocky Mountain National Park is distributing $39,000 in federal funding to assist four local volunteer fire departments. As part of the National Fire Plan, the Rural Fire Assistance program is designed to increase firefighter safety, enhance the fire protection capabilities of rural fire departments and assist surrounding communities.

Grant Provides for Fire Education and Equipment
A $25,000 National Fire Plan Community Assistance Grant provided cooperative fire education opportunities to residents of the Estes Valley during summer 2003.

FireWorks Curriculum Workshop Taught
Fireworks are strictly prohibited within National Parks, except when FireWorks refers to the educational curriculum package which promotes the understanding of the ecological role fire plays.

Volunteers Assist with Fuel Reduction Projects
The Shining Mountains Group of the Colorado Mountain Club displays the spirit of volunteerism at its brightest level. This group of dedicated volunteers, forty-nine strong, has contributed over 1,347 hours of labor working on fuels reduction projects in the park this year.

Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park Receives Award from Sky Islands Wildlands Network
The Fire Management Program at Saguaro National Park received special recognition from the Sky Islands Wildlands Network for exemplary efforts to protect and restore Nature.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Funding Assists with Fire Management Planning and Education
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park received funding of $13,618.00 to complete a fire management plan. Also, through the additional funding of $10,000 provided by the National Fire Office, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park utilized $9.846.00 to implement a one-year Fire Prevention and Education project.

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site

Rural Fire Assistance Awarded to Kiowa County Fire Department
The National Park Service, in conjunction with Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site and Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, recently provided funding for rural fire assistance to the Kiowa County Fire Department.

Southeast Region Fire Management

First FIREWISE Communities Workshops Conducted in Alabama
The Jefferson-Shelby Wildland Urban Interface Advisory Council sponsored Alabama’s first-ever FIREWISE Communities workshops last month.

Mechanical Fuels Treatments Reduce Hazard Fuel Loads
In the past few years, the National Fire Plan has made it possible for numerous parks in the southeast region to successfully integrate mechanical treatments of fuels into their hazard fuels reduction strategies.

Southeast Region Records Many Accomplishments
An overview of the region's Fiscal Year 2003 accomplishments.

FIREWISE Communities Workshop Conducted in Alexander City, Alabama
A FIREWISE Communities workshop was met with local support on October 30 in Alexander City, Alabama. Close to thirty participants met at City Hall to discuss ways they can work together with their communities to take preventative wildfire protection measures.

Washita Battlefield National Historic Site

Prescribed Burn Successful at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site
Ignition of a 67 acre resource management planned fire occurred March 6, 2003. Use of prescribed fire is intended to restore and maintain the grassland/prairie habitat in a healthy condition.

Second Prescribed Burn Successful at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site
Ignition of a 33 acre resource management planned fire occurred April 4, 2003 on the southwest area of Washita Battlefield National Historic Site. “The finesse and accuracy of the fire and ignition crews could be seen as Red Bud trees in full bloom were untouched by the fire yet inches away undesirable species went up in flames” stated Superintendent Wendy Lauritzen.

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

A New Approach to Hazard Fuel Reduction at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
The National Park Service at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area continues to test new ways to reduce the hazardous build-up of forest fuels. In November of 2002 Whiskeytown contracted with North Tree, a local private contractor, for the use of a brush masticator.

Panther Gap Prescribed Burn Complete
The National Park Service at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area completed the 314 acre Panther Gap prescribed burn on Monday December 2, 2002. This burn is a huge success for Whiskeytown's fire program for 2003.

Completion of Prescribed Burn
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area completed a 467-acre successful prescribed burn on the Shasta Divide on February 12, 2003.

Shasta Divide Prescribed Burn
The National Park Service at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, successfully completed a 368 acre prescribed burn on May 22, 2003, just before the Memorial Day Weekend.

Over 1000 Acres Treated in Fiscal Year '03
Whiskeytown Fire Management had a successful and productive fiscal year in fuels management treating 1832 acres. Working with our partners we completed many projects that continue to support our commitment to reduce hazardous fuels in the Wildland Urban Interface to protect the park and communities.

Yellowstone National Park

Wildland Urban Interface Fuels Management Environmental Assessment FONSI Available
The Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)/Decision Notice for the Wildland Urban Interface Fuels Management Environmental Assessment (EA) for Yellowstone National Park was signed by Director Karen Wade of the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service on May 19, 2003.

Crosscut Saw Safety and Use Training Program Completed at Yellowstone
In keeping with wilderness management and fuels contracting mandates, the Yellowstone Fire Management operation completed a crosscut saw safety and use program in early May 2003.

High School "Camp Wildness" Piloted
Using Wildland Urban Interface funds, Yellowstone National Park piloted its high school field camp, Camp Wildness : Living with Fire, June 25, 2003 through July 24, 2003 , in Silver Gate, Montana , near the park's Northeast entrance.

Yellowstone Counts 2003 Successes
Yellowstone had six projects that were successful with the Rural Fire Assistance and Prevention/Education funding for 2003.

Zion National Park

Zion Receives Intermountain Fire Management Award
The Fire Management Program at Zion National Park received one of two 2002 Awards for Excellence in a Complex Fire Management Program at the 2003 Intermountain Fire Management Conference held in Albuquerque, New Mexico during the last week of January 2003.

Exotic Plants Create Fire Concerns in Zion National Park
While it’s true that April showers bring May flowers, in Zion Canyon, April showers also bring Cheatgrass and Rip-gut Brome, two exotic grass species.

Watchman Hazard Fuels Reduction Project
Fire management personnel at Zion addressed the issue of the wildland-urban interface within the park, which includes park residential areas, by recently completing a hazard fuels reduction project within the Watchman Residential Area of the park.

Timber Top Fire Use Complex
The Timber Top Fire Use Complex began on July 17 from a lightning storm that passed through the area igniting numerous wildland fires. The complex consisted of two fires located on isolated mesas in the Kolob Canyons section of the park.

Interagency Fire Center Opens in Cedar City
The facility will serve as the main dispatch and resource supply center for interagency firefighting efforts throughout the Eastern Great Basin area.

Bulletin Boards Keep Local Community Informed
Zion National Park has erected two new bulletin boards to assist with fire information needs in the local community.

National Science Teachers Learn about Wildland Fire
During the first week of December 2003, 1200 educators from throughout the world converged on Reno, Nevada for a National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Conference. This year some of the teachers were introduced to the world of wildland fire by an interagency group of fire educators.

Annual Success Story Publications
Compilations of success stories for National Fire Plan.