The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will be conducting prescribed burns this spring on wildlife management areas managed by the DNR’s Maquoketa Wildlife Unit in Clinton, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson, Jones and Scott counties.
Areas scheduled for prescribed burns are Barber Creek, Goose Lake, Syracuse and Wapsi, in Clinton County; Bloody Run, Cow Branch, Ensign Hollow, Volga, Leonard, Sny Magill and Big Springs, in Clayton County; Buffalo Creek, Backbone State Park, Manchester Hatchery and Ram Hollow, in Delaware County; Whitewater and White Pine Hollow, in Dubuque County; Big Mill Creek and Green Island, in Jackson County; Muskrat Slough and Oxford Junction, in Jones County; and Crow Creek, Lost Grove Lake, McCausland and Princeton, in Scott County.
Prescribed burns are used to improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species, restore and maintain native plant communities and reduce wildfire potential and vary in size from a few acres to several hundred acres. Areas are typically burned every one to five years.
Prescribed burns typically begin mid to late morning and are completed by late afternoon or early evening between mid-March and mid-May. Burns will be conducted on a day that meets the objectives and weather conditions defined in the burn plan. Any prescribed burns that are not able to be completed this spring will be considered for the burn schedule next fall.
Contact DNR wildlife biologist Nick McClimon at 563-219-4148 with any questions or concerns.
