Prescribed fire workshop for landowners planned for Feb. 9

Register now for the Prescribed Fire Workshop for Landowners. The event will be held on Thursday, February 9, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Conservation Education Center at Marr Park in Ainsworth.

This workshop is geared toward landowners who are interested in using prescribed fire as a management tool for prairies and woodlands, although anyone 18 and older may attend. It is great for people who have mid-contract management plans that include prescribed fire.

The class will cover a brief history of fire in Iowa, the benefits of prescribed fire, how to set management goals and objectives, the use of burn plans, fire weather, tools, techniques, and safety. This one-day event is a class, not a certification. Landowners are encouraged to bring a map of the area they are interested in burning, time is included for some site-specific questions.

Participants of this class will be allowed to check out a fire cache, equipped with wildland firefighting equipment such as bladder bags, drip torches, Nomex suits, fire specific tools and personal protective equipment. In addition, participants will get to meet other like-minded landowners, share ideas and strategies and hopefully make some contacts to help each other apply fire safely to the landscape.

Pre-registration is required, and space is limited. Participants can register and pay online at www.mycountyparks.com/County/Louisa.aspx. Contact Louisa County Conservation at 319-523-8381 or conservation@louisacountyia.gov with questions. The $25 fee includes class materials, juice, rolls and lunch.

This class is sponsored by the Great Rivers Alliance of Southeast Iowa, a coalition of private and public conservation agencies working to improve the ability of all people to care for the natural resources in Southeast Iowa. Partners include US Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, The Nature Conservancy, Des Moines, Johnson, Lee, Louisa, Muscatine, & Washington County Conservation Boards, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Bur Oak Land Trust, National Wild Turkey Federation, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever.