The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife management areas managed by the Iowa DNR’s Prairie Lakes Wildlife Unit inBuena Vista, Clay, Emmet, Palo Alto and Kossuth counties.
Areas scheduled for prescribed burns are Pickerel Lake in Buena Vista County; Barringer Slough, Dan Green Slough, Deweys Pasture, DU Marsh, Elk Lake, Fen Valley, Highbridge, Little Sioux and Tom Tuttle Marsh in Clay County; Anderson Prairie, Birge Lake, Burr Oak Lake, Eagle Lake, East Swan Lake, Four Mile Lake, Ingham-High Lake, Iowa Lake and Iowa Lake Marsh in Emmet County; Blue Wing Marsh, Deweys Pasture, Fallow Marsh, Perkins Marsh, Virgin Lake, West Fork in Palo Alto County; Goose Lake, Seneca Access, Stateline Marsh and Iowa Lake Marsh in Kossuth 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. The DNR burns most areas on about a five year rotation, with some getting burned less or more frequently depending on habitat response.
Prescribed burns typically begin mid to late morning and are completed by late afternoon or early evening between late 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.