The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife management areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Maquoketa Wildlife Unit in Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson, Jones and Scott counties.
Areas scheduled for prescribed burns are Barber Creek, Goose Lake and Wapsi in Clinton County; Buffalo Creek and Ram Hollow in Delaware County; Whitewater and White Pine Hollow in Dubuque County; Big Mill Creek and Green Island in Jackson County; Muskrat Slough and Oxford Junction in Jones County; and Crow Creek, Lost Grove Lake, McCausland and Princeton in Scott County.
Prescribed burns are used to improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species, restore and maintain native plant communities and reduce wildfire potential and vary in size from a few acres to several hundred acres. Areas are typically burned every one to five years.
Prescribed burns typically begin mid to late morning and are completed by late afternoon or early evening between mid-March and early May. Burns will be conducted on a day that meets the objectives and weather conditions defined in the burn plan. Any prescribed burns that are not able to be completed this spring will be considered for the burn schedule next fall.