News Release

Mesa Verde National Park Invites Public Comment on Fire Management Plan, Environmental Assessment

Date: July 12, 2023
Contact: Cecilia Shields, [phone]

MESA VERDE, CO – The National Park Service (NPS) has released an environmental assessment (EA) evaluating the impacts of the Proposed Fire Management Plan (FMP) at Mesa Verde National Park (MVNP) and Yucca House National Monument (YHNM) (collectively, “the parks”). The FMP EA considers wildland fire management practices, techniques, and tools including ground and aviation operations, suppression, and fire fuels management such as manual, mechanical, and prescribed fire treatments.  

Under Alternative A, the no-action alternative, the NPS would not implement the proposed FMP for the parks. Treatment activities would be limited to full suppression of wildland fires as they occur and maintenance of existing defensible space. The NPS would continue to employ full suppression to control a fire and prevent it from exceeding a defined perimeter. Under the no-action alternative, the NPS would continue to use common tools and strategies associated with fire suppression efforts. 

Under Alternative B, the proposed action and preferred alternative, NPS would implement a new FMP for the parks. Under this alternative, the NPS would manage unplanned fires in the same manner as described under the no-action alternative and would continue to employ full suppression to control a fire and prevent it from exceeding a defined perimeter. In addition, Alternative B provides programmatic support and site-specific analysis of proposed fuel treatment projects that are described in the FMP. The goal is to support and streamline implementation of fuel treatment projects and any future site-specific compliance analyses.  

Upon conclusion of this EA and decision-making process, one of the alternatives would be implemented. Your feedback is important to the NPS. We are asking for your review and comments during the 30-day comment period. The document is available for review online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/MEVE. Comments may be submitted electronically via the website. Comments must be received by August 11, 2023.  

Before individuals include their address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in their comment, they should be aware that their entire comment, including their personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. Individuals may request that the NPS withhold their name and/or address from public disclosure. If individuals wish to do this, they must state this prominently at the beginning of their comment and make such a request by checking the box "keep my contact information private." on the website. The NPS will honor such requests to the extent allowable by law, but individuals should be aware that NPS may still be required to disclose personal identifying information.