The meadow had small spots where the grass was on fire, trees and bushes burned so intensely that the heat could be felt a dozen feet away, and smoke was visible for miles.
But this was all done with the hope that in the coming months and years, the bighorn sheep will have a better, bigger and safer home in Empire’s Blue Creek area.
On Nov. 19, about 50 personnel from the U.S. Forest Service and local firefighting agencies conducted a prescribed burn on 125 acres northwest of Empire. The USFS had hoped to conduct the burn on the entire 270-acre project area, but about 125-150 acres on the eastern side was too wet to burn last week, Incident Commander Ed LeBlanc of USFS said.
He and Clear Creek District Ranger Scott Haas both said they hope to do another prescribed burn in that area as soon as possible, likely in the spring.
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