Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Announces Prescribed BurnsREPUBLIC, MO -- Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield will conduct a prescribed burn in the park sometime between February 28 and March 12, 2022. This range of dates is necessary because prescribed fire is dependent on weather conditions. The burn is expected to last multiple days. To assure visitor safety, the tour road and battlefield will be closed to visitors while the prescribed burn is conducted. The visitor center and museum will remain open.
“Weather conditions permitting, a large number of brush piles and approximately 660 acres of grassland and forest will be burned,” said Superintendent Sarah Cunningham. All burns will be conducted under the guidance of National Park Service fire personnel. The objective of the prescribed burns is to provide for the safety of fire suppression staff, park employees, visitors, and the surrounding communities; reduce wildfire risk; reduce woody plants, Eastern red cedar, and invasive plant species; maintain native species richness; and increase the foliar cover of warm season grasses.
Fire managers make every effort to minimize smoke impacts to surrounding communities, though smoke-sensitive individuals may want to avoid outside activities on the days of operation. We encourage visitors and the local community to use caution when traveling near the battlefield.
Wilson's Creek is involved in a long-term program aimed at restoring the historic landscape within the park. At the time of the 1861 battle, much of the vegetation was an upland savanna. Both historically and naturally, fire played an important role in maintaining this savanna landscape. “Prescribed fire is a way for land managers to utilize fire as a tool in a carefully planned manner, while following very specific guidelines to protect public safety and achieve resource management objectives,” said Cunningham. With its prescribed fire program, the National Park Service is reintroducing fire as an effective management tool to assist with the restoration of this important historic scene.
For additional information on whether prescribed fire operations will occur on any given day, visit the park website for closure updates at www.nps.gov/wicr or call the park’s Visitor Center at 417-732-2662. For further information on the prescribed fire operations, contact Supervisory Resource Management Specialist Gary Sullivan at 417-732-2662 ext. 286 or the Superintendent at 417-732-2662 ext. 235.
Administered by the National Park Service, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield preserves the site of the first major battle of the Civil War in the West. The Confederate victory on August 10, 1861 focused greater national attention on the war in Missouri, leading to greater federal military action. Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield is located 10 miles southwest of Springfield, Missouri at the intersection of Highway ZZ and Farm Road 182.
