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 in Clay, Palo Alto, Emmet and Kossuth counties.
Areas scheduled for prescribed burns are Dewey’s Pasture, Hawk Valley, Tom Tuttle Marsh, Little Sioux, Fen Valley, Elk Lake, Barringer Slough, Dan Green Slough and Ocheyedan in Clay County; Blue Wings Marsh, Dewey’s Pasture, West Fork and Fallow Marsh in Palo Alto County; Ingham-High, Bur Oak, Anderson Prairie, Birge Lake, Tuttle Lake, West Swan Lake, Eagle Lake, 4 Mile Lake and Twelve Mile Lake in Emmet County; Goose Lake, Burt Lake, Seneca and Iowa Lake Marsh in Kossuth County; and Pickerel Lake in Buena Vista 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. Burn units are typically on a 4-5 year rotation.
Prescribed burns typically begin mid to late morning and are completed by late afternoon or early evening between mid-March and mid-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.
Contact Iowa DNR wildlife biologist Rob Patterson at 712-330-2563 with any questions or concerns.