Prescribed Burns Planned Near Keewaydin Island 

Submitted 

Resource management staff at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve have released plans for a prescribed burn on spoil islands near Keewaydin Island Aug. 12-15. Prescribed fires will commence each day around 9 AM, as weather permits. The fire or smoke will likely be visible by boaters along the channel from Gordon Pass and Marco Island and in nearshore waters, but should not impede navigation. Residents in the adjacent areas will see and possibly smell smoke. 

Rookery Bay Reserve staff coordinate burns with the Florida Forest Service and work with partnering land managers and local fire departments to get the job done safely and efficiently. Fire personnel will contact visitors in the area to ensure their safety while traveling near activity areas and will carefully monitor the fire throughout the day until it extinguishes. 

"The main purpose of these burns is to reduce fuel loads and manage wildlife habitat," said Rookery Bay Reserve Resource Management Coordinator Jeff Carter. "Prescribed burns also help to increase ecosystem diversity while assisting in invasive plant control." 

A major portion of Collier County is comprised of plants that are dependent on fire to maintain species composition and diversity. These species are the same as those that are prone to lightning-strike wildfires and the controlled reduction of those fuels will prevent catastrophic wildfire damage. Fire-dependent plants include the South Florida slash pine, gallberry, saw palmetto and scrub oaks. 

Prescribed fire as a land management tool in natural areas has many benefits, including: 

• Reduction of fuel load to decrease threat of wildfires; 
• Stimulation of food and seed production;   
• Opening areas for wildlife feeding and travel; 
• Ecosystem diversity; 
• Enhanced endangered and threatened species habitat; and 
• Invasive plant control. 

For more information about Rookery Bay's prescribed fire program, visit www.rookerybay.org.