Agency creates signs to warn I-84 motorists of fire danger Steve Stuebner In hopes of reversing this trend, the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission (IRRC) has financed the creation of several large, color multi-panel signs that were installed this week at two rest areas along Interstate 84 – one near the Black's Creek exit east of Boise and another near Bliss. The signs will help educate motorists on the freeway about the impacts of human-caused fires. "All it takes is someone tossing a burning cigarette out the window of a car to ignite a wildfire that can do a huge amount of damage to Idaho's rangelands," said Gretchen Hyde, Executive Director of the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission, a state agency. "Once the native shrub-steppe habitat burns, cheatgrass and other non-native annual weeds move in, making the area even more vulnerable to catching fire again. It's a vicious cycle that needs to be stopped. We hope that our educational signs will help motorists understand the need to use their ashtrays when putting out a cigarette or avoid other actions such as careless shooting.” Wildfires are bad for Idaho's rangelands because they burn perennial grasses and sagebrush that is critical for wildlife, such as sage-grouse and wintering mule deer. Many ranchers in Idaho also depend on public and private rangelands for raising livestock. Wildfires can cause big financial losses for ranchers, Hyde says. That negatively affects Idaho’s rural economies. The IRRC also is exploring long-term solutions to restoring repeatedly burned rangelands that are now full of cheatgrass and noxious weeds. Some of those solutions include:
The IRRC thanked the Idaho Transportation Department, Bureau of Land Management, National Interagency Fire Center and the Magic Valley Cattle Association for assistance in producing the education signs. For more information about the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission's I-84 sign project, see the agency's website. Published 8-31-2012 |