The National Park Service (NPS) has released for public review an environmental assessment to consider alternatives for managing wildland fires in Katmai National Park and Preserve and the adjacent Alagnak Wild River corridor. The Katmai Fire Management Plan (FMP) would serve as a detailed and comprehensive program of action to implement fire management policy principles and goals, consistent with the areas’ resource management objectives.

The environmental assessment evaluates the effects of three alternatives for managing wildland fires in the park, preserve, and wild river corridor.

These include one that would continue present fire management, which entails full suppression of all wildland fires using techniques appropriate for various locations; a second that would use naturally-caused wildland fires to restore and maintain natural conditions where facilities and human life are not threated by fire and mechanical removal of flammable vegetation around structures and historic and archeological sites; and a third that would use wildland fires, mechanical reductions of vegetative fuels, and prescribed fire in selected locations to reduce hazardous fuel loads to protect life, property, and park resources from the effects of unwanted fire.

The comment period for the EA will extend 60 days, beginning December 03, 2012, and ending February 01, 2013.  Please send written comments to the attention of Bud Rice, NPS Alaska Regional Office, 240 West 5th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501.

Comments also may be posted at the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) program located on the NPS public comment website at:

http://parkplanning.nps.gov

If you have specific questions about the EA or public comment process, please contact Bud Rice, Environmental Protection Specialist, at (907)

644-3530 or Regional Fire Management Officer Dan Warthin at (907) 644-3409.

You may request a hard copy of the EA or download the EA from the NPS Planning Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) web page at:

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/searchAll.cfm and search for Katmai National Park and Preserve.

Logo courtesy National Park Service