INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK: The National Park Service is planning four prescribed fires this fall at Indiana Dunes National Park. Approximately 897 acres are expected to be burned. Fire is used as a tool for the park's long-term restoration and hazard fuel reduction efforts.
“We are trying to keep up our schedule of prescribed fires used to maintain the unique ecosystem at Indiana Dunes, while still being aware of COVID-19 concerns," says Dan Plath, Chief of Resource Management for the National Park. “Prescribed fire maintains the natural and cultural landscape, while reducing the threat from wildfires. Managing the smoke impact on our neighbors during these burns is very important to us," he says.
Two fires are planned in the west end of the park this fall. In the park’s Miller Woods area, north of the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education and west of North Lake Street in Gary, is a 158-acre area of Black Oak Savanah scheduled to be burned. And along the south side of US highway 12, from the Lake-Porter County Line Road, east towards Ogden Dunes and Stagecoach Road is the 562-acre Tolleston-East Prescribed Fire area.
In the east half of the park, a prescribed fire is planned around the Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center in Porter. Approximately 167 acres south of Oak Hill Road and west of Howe Road will be burned. And in Beverly Shores, approximately 10 acres immediately surrounding the Central Beach parking lot is planned to be burned.
An online map of the planned prescribed fire areas can be found at http://bit.ly/INDUFall2020
Clear management goals and objectives have been established for each burn unit. Before burning, a designated set of conditions must exist including ideal, wind speed and direction, and relative humidity. Weather conditions will be monitored throughout the duration of the burn to ensure the fire is completed safely.
Residents of Porter County may sign up to receive prescribed fire notifications through Porter County's "Alert Porter County" system. As part of the program, residents can sign up to receive a text message, email or voice message when prescribed fires are happening at Indiana Dunes National Park. Go to http://www.portercounty911.org to sign up for this free service. Additionally, the National Park announces prescribed fire activity on its Facebook page, www.facebok.com/IndianaDunesNPS
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
