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Contact: Maureen McGee-Ballinger, 605-574-3115
KEYSTONE, SD: Mount Rushmore National Memorial will implement a prescribed burn to reduce accumulated slash piles in support of the park’s fire management plan. Due to the recent snowfall creating favorable conditions, burning will occur Wednesday through Saturday. The burn will begin at 9:00 am at middle marker behind the monument. Approximately 50 acres are within the prescription area. Visitors may see hand crews working in the forest, burning slash piles and experience drifting smoke and haze throughout the burn period. Natural barriers within the prescribed section ensure a clear and safe operational area. The prescription includes burning residual slash piles, removal of needle accumulation and minimal ground cover. Mount Rushmore National Memorial has successfully completed several fuel-reducing projects in the past several years in an attempt to provide a means to stop or slow the growth of any unwanted wildfire. These projects have included thinning, through prescribed fire or mechanical removal, overcrowded stands of timber near critical structures and areas within the memorial. |
Last updated: April 10, 2015