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The U.S. Forest Service has historically faced demands that exceed its budget and workforce capacity. And now, looming congressional budget cuts are only putting a finer point on this. That likely means looking for creative solutions for maintaining these public lands, which is nothing new for the third largest forest in the lower 48 – the Bridger-Teton. They’ve worked closely with a nonprofit to fill in some critical gaps. It’s a relatively novel concept in the forest world.
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Highway 26/287 over Togwotee Pass temporarily re-opened on Friday morning. The road’s been closed for most of the week as crews have worked to keep the Fish Creek Fire from jumping the highway. Expect slow speeds and limited visibility.
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Residents of the Brooks Lake, Pinnacle Drive and Breccia Drive areas have been under a Level 3 evacuation notice since Tuesday evening. U.S. Highway 26 over Togwotee Pass remains closed.
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Crews have finished 28 percent of the actions they want to take to confine the blaze and protect Highway 26/287, the Brooks Lake Lodge and nearby cabins.
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Rain and some snow fell on the fire burning about seven miles southwest of Togwotee Pass on Sunday night and into Monday morning. Crews have now contained a little more than 20 percent of the approximately 11,000 acre Fish Creek Fire. A community meeting will be held Monday night to provide local residents with updates.
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The Forest Service is asking for additional firefighting resources to control the blaze.
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The Leeds Creek Fire was first reported Aug. 1 in the Bridger Teton National Forest, about 18 miles southwest of the town of Dubois. Since then it’s grown to more than 1,200 acres. Maps show it’s burning right through the Continental Divide Trail.
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A fire first discovered earlier this month in the Wyoming Range is now at 90 percent containment.
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Fire danger has been raised to “moderate” for the Teton area. That includes Grand Teton National Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest and the National Elk Refuge. The increase is due to warmer and windier conditions, and the fact that grasses, shrubs and trees are drying out.
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On a sunny May morning, more than a 100 fifth graders played and explored in an open grassy clearing, surrounded by pine trees on the banks of the rushing Buffalo Fork River. They were attending the annual Blackrock Field Camp, a two-day educational event put on by the U.S. Forest Service each year for students from elementary schools on the Wind River Reservation.