Beginning in early April, the Nature Conservancy will be conducting prescribed, or controlled, burns on approximately 40 acres within the Chiwaukee Prairie in Pleasant Prairie. A prescribed burn is a carefully planned and executed fire used to preserve and protect wildlife that is native to a prairie. Prescribed burns are conducted to reduce the likelihood of wildfires, add nutrients to the prairie soil, and to remove undesirable woody plants and weeds.

The Nature Conservancy will work in conjunction with the Pleasant Prairie Fire & Rescue Department to assess factors such as wind speed and direction, humidity, and grass moisture to ensure safe conditions are present prior to the prescribed burns and to select days that should result in minimal inconvenience due to smoke. Areas of the Chiwaukee Prairie to be burned are located south of 116th Street, west of 1st Avenue and North of 122nd Street. A series of burns, ranging from roughly five to ten acres each will be conducted. Burns will typically take place between 10:00 a.m. and sundown and can occur on either weekdays or weekends.

Burns could be conducted as early as April 4th, depending upon the conditions mentioned above. Residents living near the area of the burns will receive a door hanger with information about the process the day prior to or the morning of the burn. They can prepare by closing windows in their home and brining any laundry indoors. After the burns are complete, residents can expect to see black, burned areas of prairie, followed by the regrowth of stronger prairie plants with fewer invasive species. Residents may also notice a reduced number of pest organisms, such as ticks and the return of taller prairie grasses along with improved diversity of prairie species. Residents with questions related to the upcoming burns are asked to contact the Nature Conservancy at 633 W. Main Street, Madison, WI 53703 or 608/251-8140. Additional information can also be found in the PDF below.

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