Holding controlled burns in the spring can minimize smoke impacts

Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** The key to reducing wildfire smoke? More fire.
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Thursday, June 22, 2023
The Kern Valley Hotshots assist with a prescribed fire in California. Michael Chiodini, BLM ([link removed])

A new study finds that smoke from large wildfires ([link removed]) in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington produce most of the wildfire smoke that affects residents across the Western U.S. The key to reducing the impacts of those summer wildfires is to hold more prescribed burns of 1,000 acres or more in the springtime.

The study, published in the journal Earth's Future ([link removed]) , looked at smoke patterns in 2018 and 2020, two large wildfire seasons in the West. Researchers concluded that prescribed burns in Arizona and central Oregon have been effective at mitigating wildfires.


** BLM Restoration Landscapes: Upper Bear River and La Barge
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In celebration of the Bureau of Land Management’s $161 million investment in Western landscape restoration projects, Look West is highlighting Restoration Landscapes each day ([link removed]) . Today's landscapes are the Upper Bear River on the Utah/Wyoming border and Wyoming's La Barge. These landscapes are both habitat for the imperiled greater sage-grouse, and the Bear River is the primary source for the shrinking Great Salt Lake. BLM's investment of nearly $20 million dollars will restore 1.4 million acres of land across both areas.
Quick hits


** The BLM wants to make conservation equal to ranching and mining in the West. The GOP is angry about it
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Colorado Sun ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed])


** Feds move to speed up wind and solar development on public land
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Grist ([link removed])


** Biden administration launches nationwide tour touting IRA spending
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Fish & Wildlife Service moves to restore endangered species protections dropped by Trump
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | Gizmodo ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | CNN ([link removed])


** As solar and wind set new records, Wyoming sows fear over coal's decline
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CBS News ([link removed]) | Cowboy State Daily ([link removed])


** Building a wildlife crossing in LA starts with a million hyperlocal seeds
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])


** Blood-red crickets invade Nevada town, residents fight back with snow plows
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** A year after Yellowstone floods, fishing guides learn 'a whole new river'
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NPR ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” While we've seen this incredible surge of getting more people outside, we now need to figure out how to really instill this ethos of responsible recreation in everyone. If we aren't doing our part collectively, those lands suffer and they get degraded – and they then do become under threat.”
—OnX marketing manager Becky Marcelliano, Wyoming Public Media ([link removed])
Picture this


** @BLMNational ([link removed])
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POV - I'm snapping pics of a moose from a safe distance, not realizing my front-facing camera is on. 🤳🤣 Always ensure you're are in a safe spot before snapping the perfect photo and be sure to #RecreateResponsibly ([link removed]) ! #NationalSelfieDay ([link removed]) . 📸 @BLMUtah ([link removed])

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