Media Advisory: Feb. 12, 2016
PRESCRIBED BURNS
PLANNED FOR
KEEWAYDIN ISLAND
~Residents will see and possibly smell smoke~
NAPLES,
Fla. –
Resource management staff at Rookery Bay
National Estuarine Research Reserve plan to conduct prescribed fires, weather permitting, on Keewaydin Island along the Intercoastal Waterway, as well as the
southern tip Feb. 16-21.
Boaters and residents of adjacent areas will see and
possibly smell smoke from the fire, and the southern tip of the island will be
closed from 1:30–3 p.m. on one or more of the days. Fire personnel will
clear visitors from the island by 1:30 p.m. on the day of the prescribed fire to ensure
their safety. Rookery Bay Reserve works with the Florida
Forestry Service, land managers and local fire departments to ensure the
prescribed fires are conducted safely and are carefully monitored until
extinguished.
"The main purpose of the burn at the southern tip
of the island is to reduce the amount of grass and other vegetation and
increase areas of open sand to improve the habitat for beach-nesting birds,”
said Rookery Bay Reserve Burn Boss Greg Curry.
Prescribed burning mimics natural
fire cycles to restore healthy forests and natural communities, reduce
undergrowth and decrease the potential for
wildfire. Burned lands experience an increase in native wildflowers, birds and
other wildlife.
For
more information about Rookery Bay Reserve’s prescribed fire program visit www.rookerybay.org.
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