Grand Canyon, AZ - Grand Canyon National Park fire managers-working with resources from

Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Rocky Mountain National Park, Zion National Park, Lake
Meredith National Recreation Area, Bryce Canyon National Park, Saguaro National Park and
Kaibab National Forest anticipate initiating a prescribed fire treatment as early as tomorrow, as
weather and fuel moisture conditions allow.

The Long Jim Prescribed Fire is adjacent to the developed area on the South Rim, east of
South Entrance Road and south of Highway 64 (Desert View Drive) East. Comprised of pinyon,
juniper, and ponderosa pine, the treatment unit is 2,849 acres in size. Objectives specific to the
Long Jim Rx include improving the defensible space in the wildland/urban interface (WUI) within
the South Rim developed area, returning fire to a fire-adapted ecosystem, and reducing fuel
loads.

Smoke from the Long Jim Rx will be most visible during ignition operations and will likely
gradually diminish after ignitions are completed. Heavy smoke along Highway 64 East may
impact traffic, which may require a pilot car. Please drive slowly, turn your lights on, avoid
stopping in areas where fire personnel are working, and follow directions of signs and
personnel.

Smoke will also be visible from various locations on the North and South rims, including Grand
Canyon Village, Desert View, and most overlooks. Fire managers are working with the Arizona
Department of Environmental Quality-Smoke Management Division to reduce and mitigate
potential smoke impacts.

During the Long Jim Rx, the Arizona Trail will be closed from Vann Drive and Highway 64 to
Yaki Point Road. A detour around the fire will take Arizona Trail hikers on the Greenway west of
Highway 64 to a power line corridor southeast of the Grand Canyon Visitor Center (GCVC). At the power line corridor, the detour will continue east along the corridor until it reconnects with the Arizona Trail. A map of the area is attached. The trail closure is highlighted in blue and the detour is highlighted in purple. 

Prescribed fires play an important role in decreasing risks to life, resources, and property. Fire
managers carefully plan prescribed fires, initiating them only under environmental conditions
that are favorable to assuring firefighter and visitor safety and to achieving the desired
objectives. Prescribed fire objectives include reducing accumulations of hazard fuels,
maintaining the natural role of fire in a fire-adapted ecosystem, and protection of sensitive
natural and cultural resources

Information about the Long Jim Rx can be found on Twitter @GrandCanyonNPS, on the park's
website https://www.nps.gov/grca/parkmgmt/firemanagement.htm and on Inciweb
at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov