L76-GLAC-00-049 Dear Friends: Enclosed is Glacier National Park’s Fire Management Plan and Environmental Assessment. The EA is also available on our website at www.nps.gov/glac. The National Park Service (NPS) proposed to update the Fire Management Plan for Glacier National Park, Montana. The first plan was released in November 2002. Public meetings were held in Browning and West Glacier in December. After reviewing the public comments, Glacier National Park decided to make some changes in the proposed fire program to clarify our intent and better address impacts to wildlife. These changes resulted in the need to reissue the Fire Management Plan/EA for another 30-day public comment period. Public meetings will not be held again, but if you have questions or concerns that you would like to discuss with park staff, please call Fred Vanhorn at 406-888-7830. The preferred alternative provides strategies to manage fire, including suppression of unwanted wildland fires, increasing the use of prescribed fire to meet resource objectives and to restore the role of fire as a natural disturbance, and mechanically reduce fuels to enhance our ability to defend structures during a fire. Please send your comments by mail to Glacier National Park, Attn: Fire Management Plan EA, PO Box 128, West Glacier, MT, 59936. Comments may also be sent electronically to
[email protected], attention: Fire Management Plan EA. The public comment period ends April 7, 2003. Our practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular business hours.