Prescribed Fire Scheduled To Occur At Grand Canyon Wednesday, October 28,2003

Grand Canyon, AZ - A prescribed fire is scheduled to take place at Grand Canyon National Park Wednesday October 28, 2003 when environmental factors such as wind, temperature, relative humidity, and fuel moisture levels are favorable. The Hearst prescribed fire will be implemented on the Park's South Rim.

Prescribed fires are one of the most effective tools available to resource managers for restoring fire dependant ecosystems. Prescribed fires are based on burn plans that must be approved by the Park Superintendent before any of the recommended actions are implemented. Park resource managers are involved in the process of planning prescribed burns and all prescribed fires are managed with firefighter and public safety as the first priority.

Thorough planning is used to minimize smoke impacts; however, it is impossible to predict weather patterns and smoke behavior with complete accuracy. Smoke impacts may be possible in the adjacent community of Tusayan. Smoke impacts may also occur along the river at night and in the early morning hours. No park closures are anticipated at this time.

Prescribed Fire	Size	Location
Hearst	60 acres	Grandview area, approximately eight miles southeast of Grand Canyon Village

For additional information, please call Grand Canyon National Park's Fire Information at 928-638-7819. (www.nps.gov/grca/fire/)