DNR Conducting Prescribed Burns in Local Counties

The Iowa DNR will be conducting prescribed burns this spring in several local counties.

The burns will take place on wildlife management areas managed by the DNR’s Maquoketa Wildlife Unit in Delaware, Dubuque, Jones, Clayton, Scott, Clinton and Jackson counties.

Areas scheduled for prescribed burns include Backbone State Park, Buffalo Creek and the Manchester Fish Hatchery in Delaware County; Whitewater, Ram Hollow and White Pine Hollow State Preserve in Dubuque County; Muskrat Slough and Oxford Junction in Jones County; and Sny Magil, Leonard, Cowbranch, Klingman/Etringer, Volga, Ensign Hollow and Big Springs Fish Hatchery in Clayton County.

Prescribed burns are used to improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species, restore and maintain native plant communities, and reduce wildfire potential. The burns vary in size from a few acres to several hundred acres.

They typically begin mid to late morning and are completed by late afternoon or early evening. Prescribed burns usually occur between now and mid-May – if they’re not conducted yet this spring, they may take place in the fall instead.