Every year we imitate nature and we burn some of our restored prairies. Fire keeps out woody plant material (trees, shrubs) and inhibits or sets back the growth of cool-season European grasses that out-compete native forbs (flowers). It also stimulates the flowering and seed production of native plants. In 1999, despite a wet spring, we were able to conduct many burns. Donald Park, Token Creek Park, Lake Farm Park, Schumacher Farm, Goose Lake and the Ice Age Trail Junction Area. The only burn that was canceled was at Belle Fontaine (Pheasant Branch), due to improper weather conditions (but volunteers did succeed in burning brush piles).
This is the first year that Wayne set dates for burns a month in advance. In the past he’s waited for burn conditions to look promising and then set a date. Weather and other burn conditions (presence of rain, wind direction and strength, dew point, relative humidity) were on his side this year. Luckily, good burning conditions coincided with the dates he had set.
In addition to burns on Dane County Parks land, the Dane County Chapter of the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation conducted numerous burns along the Ice Age Trail. The equipment they used was provided to Dane County Parks by the National Park Service for use on the Ice Age Trail National Scenic Trail.
Many thanks to these burn volunteers: READI under the leadership of Elaine Herritz and Earl Strutz, Stuart Hardtke, Jim Weber, Tom Gross, Ray Nashold, Jon Traver, |
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| Prescribed burn at Goose Lake. |
Brian Standing, Dick Stauber, Marv Beatty, Denny Hagen, Tony Gurtner, Ken Haak, Ken Schumacher, Carrol Holtz, Joel Petersen, Jim & Rose Simes, Carl Thedens, Dan Williams, Pam Storts, Linnea Anderson, Pat Hitchcock, Norma & Joe Ball, Earl Hazeltine, Jon Rooney, Jackie & Bob Geimer, Bill Muehl, Jack Borders, Sal Gambaro, Lois Brick, Rich Schroeder, Steve O’Neill, Erika Luger, Gary Houldsworth, David Lawrence, Debra Horner, and Glen Danz. Thanks also to Goose Lake neighbors Bill Niederberger, Doris Hentschel, JoAnn Fredrick, Pam Stortz, Kathleen McCormick, Jim Powell, Steve & Marcia Sheets, Bill Arthur, Ellen Maurer, Lou Sileo and Kathleen Kane. Our apologies to anyone who may have inadvertently been left off this list. |
