Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

National Fire Plan banner

National Fire Plan Success Story

Alaska Refuge, Partners Protect Remote Villages from Wildfire
Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
National Fire Plan - Fuels Reduction
August 2007

Picture of local firefighters in Alaska assisting with creating firebreaks near a village.
Local firefighters in Alaska assist with creating firebreaks near villages.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continued its efforts this year to protect remote Alaskan villages within refuge boundaries from wildland fire.

In areas near villages where large wildland fires must be suppressed, prescribed burns and mechanical treatments have been conducted in cooperation with local villages to help reduce wildfire risk and maintain the role of fire in the ecosystem.

Among the recent projects, Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge recently used machinery clear vegetation, reducing the risk of wildfires spreading from the refuge to the village of Beaver, population 80. After applying prescribed fire last year to three dry, grassy lake beds totaling 145 acres, fire managers are now using machinery to connect the burned lake beds, creating a semicircle of protective fire breaks around the village. The woody vegetation will be piled and burned near the Yukon River during future prescribed fires.

The Service is also reducing risk in the adjacent communities of Bettles and Evansville near Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge. Highly flammable black spruce is being thinned around these communities with the help of the Evansville Tribal Council and Bettles Volunteer Fire Department. Begun in 2006, the project will continue until July 2008 and eventually result in thinning on 57 acres near residences and public areas.