National Park Service Fire Managers are planning three prescribed burns in the park during the last half of September.

Ignition of prescribed fire is dependent on favorable weather conditions, and due to weather uncertainty, it is not possible to predict the exact dates for each burn.

Prescribed fires are ignited by fire managers under a pre-determined set of conditions, including weather, fuel moisture and resource availability, in order to accomplish specific resource management objectives.

The following burns are planned for late September 2015:

Village Field Unit: 25 acres of fields on the northern side of the historic village will be

burned to improve hay stands and reduce encroaching woody vegetation. The fields are planted in native, warm-season grasses, which need periodic burns to maintain their health and vigor. The field was last burned in 2013.

Ferguson Field: This 25-acre field is maintained in native grasses and herbaceous flowering plants with the use of prescribed fire.

The field provides wildlife habitat while maintaining the open landscape of 1865. The field was last burned in 2013.

Sweeney Prizery Field: This 14-acre field of native grasses will be burned to improve the health and vigor of the grass stand for hay production. This field was last cut in 2013.

All prescribed burns will be conducted as interagency projects, with local support, under the guidance and direction of trained and experienced National Park Service personnel.

Specific questions about the prescribed burns should be directed to Brian Eick at (434) 352-8987 ext. 228.