Prescribed Fire Burns

HEAVY FUEL LOAD REDUCED

New West Entrance Station Progressing

.. The fire scheduled for today happened yesterday. It went off with little incident until the winds kicked up about 2:00 PM. The road from Norris to Canyon was closed briefly due to the smoke, and the fire-information center in the Norris Meadow parking lot got a lot of attention.
.. This was the first time that a prescribed burn was used in Yellowstone. It was designed to remove the heavy fuel concentration in the forest. A fire in this area could have threatened some historic structures, the Norris Campground, and the government housing area. By all accounts the 65 acre burn was a success. About half of the heavy fuel load that was in the area was burned. You can read a complete report in the Billings Gazette.

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.. Construction on the new West Entrance Station continues at a pace just a bit behind schedule. The narrow road and resulting congestion have not deterred visitors. The entrance traffic yesterday was as heavy as it was on the Fourth of July, (for about 1 hour the waiting traffic backed up into West Yellowstone.)
.. In addition to the new gate and entrance station there is a widened road planned and a turnaround that is already completed.