The following was submitted by Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Controlled burns will take place this April on the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Van Hove, Red Cloud School Road, Webber and Hazel Bird nature reserves, all of which are within the Rice Lake Plains. These burns will help restore globally rare tall grass prairie and savannah habitat in natural areas within Northumberland County and support numerous species at risk that depend on this habitat type, such as eastern meadowlark and eastern hognose snake.
Controlled, or prescribed, burns are professionally managed fires that burn across a pre-determined area under strictly controlled circumstances to accomplish a certain ecological goal, such as restoring natural habitat. Fire is an effective way to clear scrub, brush and unwanted weeds, allowing sunlight to reach the soil where native grass and wildflower seeds lie. These native prairie species typically flourish following a fire, helping restore native grassland habitat, such as that of the Rice Lake Plains area. Fire also removes invasive species that compete with native species for nutrients and water. Burning only occurs under specific weather conditions will allow for a safe, controlled fire.
The upcoming prescribed burns conducted on the Rice Lake Plains will be carried out by trained professionals on suitable days in April. These ecologically beneficial burns will be managed by NCC and Lands & Forests Consulting, an independent prescribed burn consulting firm. Detailed burn plans, fire permits and insurance are obtained in advance for each site. Depending on weather and wind conditions, the burns may occur during daytime or nighttime hours.
For safety reasons, the public will not be allowed access to the nature reserves during the burn period.
Media representatives and the public are welcome to observe burning operations from a safe location, which will be determined by fire control staff.
These prescribed burns are part of ongoing habitat restoration efforts by the Rice Lake Plains Partnership (ricelakeplains.ca). The Rice Lake Plains partners have been safely and successfully conducting prescribed burns and cooperating with local fire officials for over 16 years.
This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Department of Environment and Climate Change.
Projects like the Rice Lake Plains Partnership showcase how NCC is accelerating the pace of conservation in Canada. Conserving and restoring nature helps ensure healthy futures for wildlife and people, bolstering our ability to thrive in a changing world. In the past two years alone, NCC has influenced the protection of more than one million hectares (almost twice the size of Prince Edward Island), coast to coast to coast. Over the next few years, the organization will double its impact by mobilizing people and delivering permanent, large-scale conservation. In the face of rapid biodiversity
loss and climate change, nature is our ally. There is no solution to either without nature conservation.
Nature makes it possible.
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