NPS conducts prescribed fires in Mt. Dellenbaugh/Kelly Point area
By Jeff Axel
Visitors to the remote Kelly Point area of Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument should expect to encounter wildland firefighting operations between Aug. 25 and Sept. 30. Parashant is located on the Arizona Strip between Grand Canyon National Park and the Nevada border. The prescribed fire will take place southeast of Mt. Dellenbaugh along NPS1203 Kelly Point Road. Specific dates cannot be provided; controlled fires are dependent on forecast weather conditions and the national wildland fire season preparedness level.
Prescribed fires are used by land managers as a tool to control and reduce hazardous fuels accumulation and to prevent catastrophic wildfires. Fire, rather than mechanical treatment, was chosen by the National Park Service as the preferred tool to return forests to a healthy state. This is due to the natural touch of fire on fire-adapted forests. The Kelly Point area has not seen fire for decades. This has resulted in an unhealthy and excessive level of vegetation, increasing the risk of a catastrophic wildfire. This prescribed fire will return the landscape to a healthier plant density. This will also increase growth of new forage that is beneficial for animals such as mule deer.
Visitors in this area should anticipate smoke and firefighting vehicles. While the Kelly Point area, including NPS1203, is not closed during firefighting operations, visitors are encouraged to explore other areas of Parashant such as Twin Point or Mt. Trumbull, to avoid smoke and road congestion. Smoke warning signs will be placed along Mohave County Road 103 and NPS1203 to alert visitors that they will be entering the prescribed fire area.
See the attached map for areas anticipated to be treated. The specific location is Kelly East, approximately seven miles south of Yellow John Mountain immediately south of Ambush Pocket. For further information on the prescribed fire please call the Grand Canyon Parashant Fire Management information line at (702) 293-8676.
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