Fire Management

The Mellen Fire, a lightning started fire, burned over 3000 acres on lands near the headquarters of Dinosaur National Monument in 2009.

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The National Park Service works to understand, maintain, restore, and protect the inherent integrity of the natural resources, processes, and values of the local ecosystem while providing meaningful and appropriate opportunities for the public to enjoy them. Inherent in this mission is management of fire on the landscape.

The Fire Management Program at Dinosaur National Monument manages wildfire and prescribed fire to maintain a natural vegetation mosaic while also protecting important natural, cultural, and paleontological resources. Wildfire management ranges from suppression to allowing it to burn for natural resource benefits. Fire operations are based on the Colorado side of the Monument, which experiences the majority of the fire activity.

 

Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit

The fire equipment and staff stationed at Dinosaur National Monument respond to fires in areas on the map and all of the land within the monument.

As a member of the Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit (NWCFMU) based in Craig, CO, the Fire Management staff at Dinosaur National Monument also respond to fires in areas surrounding the park. NWCFMU consists of three Federal land management agencies, including National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Dinosaur Fire Management works with Colorado State Forest Service and local fire departments as well. This association allows for the most effective use of fire management resources in Northwest Colorado.

Because Dinosaur National Monument is situated in both Colorado and Utah, the Fire Management Program also works closely with the Uintah Basin Fire Center in Vernal, UT and works cooperatively with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Forest Service (FS), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the State of Utah on an interagency basis.

In addition, Dinosaur assists a cluster of smaller parks on the Colorado Plateau in managing fire. These parks include Colorado National Monument, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and Curecanti National Recreation Area. The Dinosaur Fire Office provides them with some fire management oversight including prescribed fire, administrative support, and material resources.