The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife management areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Clear Lake Wildlife Unit in Cerro Gordo, Hancock, Winnebago, Worth, and Wright counties.
Areas scheduled for prescribed burns are Elk Creek Marsh, Grass Lake, and Hanlontown Slough, in Worth County; Buffalo Center Potholes, Eight Mile Pits, Good Neighbors Marsh and Pilot Knob, in Winnebago County; Eagle Lake and Lake Edwards, in Hancock County; Lekwa Marsh, Union Hills and Ventura Marsh, in Cerro Gordo County; and Big Wall Lake, Lower Morse Lake and Morse Lake, in Wright County.
Prescribed burns are used to improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species, restore and maintain native plant communities, and reduce wildfire potential. Prescribed burns vary in size from a few acres to several hundred acres.
Prescribed burns typically begin mid to late morning and are completed by late afternoon or early evening. Prescribed burns usually occur between mid-March and mid-May, and will be conducted when burn plan objectives are met and weather conditions allow. Any prescribed burn not completed this spring may be conducted in the fall.
Contact Iowa DNR wildlife biologist Rob Patterson at 641-425-2814 with any questions or concerns.