FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2020
Contact: Tim Nyander
Utilities Director
479-575-8386
tnyander@fayetteville-ar.gov
Prescribed Burn at Woolsey Wet Prairie Sanctuary in Northwest Fayetteville on February 21
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.— The City of Fayetteville is conducting a prescribed burn in northwest Fayetteville at the Woolsey Wet Prairie Sanctuary, located immediately north of the West Side Wastewater Treatment Plant, at 15 S. Broyles Avenue near Persimmon Street and 54th Avenue. The burn will begin mid-morning on Friday, February 21 and will take approximately two to four hours to complete.
Ozark Ecological Restoration Incorporated (OERI), an experienced and trained burn contractor, will conduct the burn under supervision of the City’s environmental consultant, Seth Pickens, vice-president of ECO, Inc. The City of Fayetteville and City of Farmington Fire Departments will be on standby status to assist, if needed. Upon completion of the prescribed burn, the burn crew will assure that all sparks and embers have been fully extinguished. Being a prairie grassland/forb fire, there will not be long-term smoldering as occurs with forest fires. This is the 12th prescribed burn at Woolsey Wet Prairie Sanctuary since 2008.
The prescribed burn serves as a part of vegetation management efforts to maintain a restored remnant wetland prairie plant community dominated by native plant species. Woolsey Wet Prairie Sanctuary is a unique natural resource that few communities enjoy. In 2005, baseline monitoring identified 47 plant species at the site. At the end of the 2019 growing season, 489 plant species have been observed, 11 of which are species of special concern that are tracked by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC). To learn more about the Woolsey Wet Prairie Sanctuary, please visit this webpage.
A containment line has been established to maintain the fire within the designated burn area. The public is welcome to attend the prescribed burn; however, bystanders will be required to stay behind the containment line.
Should you have any questions concerning the prescribed burn, please contact the City’s environmental consultant, Seth Pickens at 479-518-1819 seth@ecoarkansas.com or Bruce Shackleford, at 501-765-9009 bruceshackleford@sbcglobal.net.
We appreciate your patience and cooperation in this matter.
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