Portion of Sterling Wildlife Management Area in southeastern Idaho will be closed for upcoming prescribed burn

Idaho Fish and Game's Southeast Region is working with the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation to implement prescribed burns across a portion of the Sterling Wildlife Management Area (WMA) located in southeastern Idaho north of Aberdeen.  

Depending on weather and fuel conditions, the prescribed burns will take place over a few days sometime between Feb.10 and March 30, and a portion of the WMA will be closed to public access during the burn period. For everyone’s safety, the public is asked to please obey all area closure signs. 

Idaho Fish and Game is working to address the buildup of decadent wetland vegetation on the WMA. Burning of the marshlands along with other tools like noxious weed control and targeted livestock grazing creates open spaces and eliminates the excess vegetation across the wetland cells. Without disturbance, wetlands will continue to close in with cattails and other dominant vegetation, choking out new growth and limiting benefits to waterfowl as well as hunter access. 

 “We are already seeing significant improvements to the wetlands at Sterling since our first prescribed burn implemented last year,” said Fish and Game Regional Habitat Biologist Maria Pacioretty.  “Prescribed fire is one of the tools we use to help create and maintain the preferred 50/50 split of cattail and bulrush to open water, resulting in more places for waterfowl and other birds to forage on annual wetland plants, submerged vegetation, and aquatic invertebrates.” 

Waterfowl hunters will also benefit from improved access into areas that were previously inaccessible prior to the burn. 

For more information about the prescribed burns at Sterling WMA, please contact Regional Habitat Biologist Maria Pacioretty, 208-236-1254.