Fire ban on Sheridan Region WGFD lands

Press Release – With the good grass growth this year and the chance of wildfire increasing due to drier conditions in late summer, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is implementing fire bans on all Game and Fish Commission-owned and administered lands within the Sheridan Region, which includes properties in Sheridan, Johnson and Crook counties.

Some of these lands include Kerns, Amsden, Bud Love and Ed O. Taylor Wildlife Habitat Management Areas (WHMAs) and all Commission-owned and administered Public Access Areas (PAAs) including Tongue River Canyon, Monument Point, Sand Creek and others.

“With the good grass production earlier this year and now drier conditions across Wyoming, the potential for human-caused fires, including catastrophic fires threatening Commission-owned and administered lands is increasingly high,” said Seth Roseberry, WGFD Habitat and Access Coordinator.

“Many of our properties are managed as winter range for elk and other wildlife,” he said. “A late-season fire on one of these properties could significantly impact winter forage for wildlife. The Game and Fish Department is authorized to regulate public use of Commission-owned lands in order to protect these critical wildlife winter ranges and associated habitats.”

As part of the ban, the following acts are prohibited on all Game and Fish Commission-owned and administered lands. Please note that these regulations may differ from bans implemented by the various counties, but anyone using WGFD lands must abide by the current WGFD ban and any county bans in place.

·         Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, charcoal grill, coal or wood burning stove.

·         Smoking except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material.

·         Fireworks are always prohibited on Wyoming Game and Fish Commission lands.

·         Fires within established campfire rings, such as on the Tongue River Canyon PAA are also banned under this regulation.

           For more information about the fire ban on Game and Fish Commission lands contact the Sheridan Region Game and Fish Office at 307-672-7418.