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Signs! A
collection of photos of road and trail signs. Click
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Improving
Habitat for Wildlife
Location
of sign - U.S. 287
in Wyoming west of Crowheart near Buffalo Valley.
Photo
taken May 2008
Text
of sign:
Improving
Habitat for Wildlife
FIRE!
A dreaded event to many of us, but critical to maintain many habitats.
Fires result in a diverse mosaic of plant, increase
nutrients
and help establish new plants. Prescribed fire is one management tool
used here to improve and protect habitats.
Historically,
natural fires periodically shaped many plant communities. Buffalo Valley is a
prime example where responsible
management
has improved winter ranges. Fire causes dying willows to sprout new
shoots, providing more palatable browse for
moose
during winter when food becomes scarce. Compare the healthy young
willows here with others in the valley that have
not
been burned.
Prescribed
fires in the sagebrush-grassland on the surrounding hills maintain a mixture
of shrubs and grasses for wintering wildlife.
Elk
use the south facing slopes during winter because these areas are warmer and
snow melts quicker, making plants more
available.
When conditions are right, controlled, prescribed fires are common in early
spring and late fall on forest lands.
These
habitat management practices are an important part of the formula for keeping
Wyoming's wildlands healthy and productive
for
wildlife.
"Wyoming's
Wildlife -- Worth Watching" is funded in a large part through interest
earned from the Wildlife Trust Account.
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out by submitting
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