« Upcoming Field Trips »

July 22: Grand River Grasslands - Missouri and Iowa

We are partnering with the Great Plains Fire Science Exchange to offer a butterflies and prairie tour in northern Missouri and southern Iowa.  Join us for a day in the field at properties managed by The Nature Conservancy, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources, including Dunn Ranch, Pawnee Prairie, Lee Trail, and Kellerton.
 
The number of participants is limited. Registration is $12 and includes lunch and round-trip transportation from Dunn Ranch to the other stops of the field trip.

RSVP: blocksom@ksu.edu

You can view or download a PDF version of the field trip flier for more details and a map.

October 10: Southwest Michigan

Save the date! Join us on Friday, Oct. 10 in southwest Michigan to learn how land managers and researchers are honing the use of prescribed fire to maintain wildlife habitat while reducing impacts to rare species. Restoring habitat while protecting individuals of rare species is an ongoing dilemma facing biologists and land managers.

The field trip will include plenty of time for discussion and multiple stops on both sides of the fence separating the Michigan National Guard's Fort Custer Training Center and the Michigan DNR's Fort Custer Recreation Area. Thanks to many partners, including the Lake States Fire Science Consortium!

The issues presented in this field trip resonate with what the consortium heard from the community during a panel discussion at the 2013 regional fire conference. Some of the key points from that discussion were:

• Needs

• more monitoring of fire effects on rare fauna
• improved information on life history and phenology of many species 
• improve the sharing of the results of research and experience 

• Contractors and private landowners tend to lack access to information on likely locations of rare species and impacts of fire on these species

• Diversity of management methods (such as mowing, burn timing, ignition techniques) can minimize impacts within a burn unit (example: consider fall and growing season burns repitive spring burns) 

• Consider the implications of “doing nothing” to the habitat, as well as the impacts of prescribed burns on individuals

• Most of these species need improvements in their habitat on a large scale to survive

The complete notes from the panel discussion "Incorporating fire sensitive species into prescribed fire planning and operations" are available as a PDF to view or download here.