Prescribed Burn Of The Bailey Tract
Prescribed Burn Of The Bailey Tract On Sanibel Island This Tuesday.
The City Of Sanibel issued the following news release.
“The J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) is planning to implement a prescribed burn of the Bailey Tract on Sanibel Island this Tuesday, June 21, if weather conditions allow.
Wednesday, June 22, is a possible alternate date.
The Southern Florida/Caribbean Fire District of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be conducting the prescribed burn with the assistance of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, the City of Sanibel, and the Sanibel Fire Rescue District. The purpose of this prescribed burn is to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic wildfires and enhance wildlife habitat by reducing the spread of invasive woody vegetation and restoring the natural ecology of the area.
Based on current weather forecasts, the Refuge staff and our partners are planning for this prescribed burn to take place on Tuesday. Note: If weather conditions are not favorable on the morning of the burn, then it will be postponed until the next favorable opportunity.
During the controlled burn operations, residents and visitors are encouraged to:
· close their windows
· cover pools
· move cars and furniture indoors
· stay indoors to minimize the impacts from smoke
· visit the east end of Sanibel Island
Note: Smoke and ash associated with a prescribed burn cannot be prevented.
On the day when a prescribed burn will take place, portions of the refuge will be closed to public access. Please abide by all signs, road closures, and instructions about closed areas provided by law enforcement and fire personnel. Access into the burn unit will be strictly prohibited during the prescribed burn operation.
After the prescribed burn has been completed, there may be occasional smoke or burning embers seen from the burned area for several days. Refuge personnel will monitor the burned area and adjacent roads, day and night, taking all precautions and maintaining readiness to minimize fire activity and smoke impacts to the public.do not be alarmed if you see smoke or burning embers within a burned area.
Why do we burn? Carefully planning and conducting managed burns can prevent the likelihood of catastrophic wildfires and help restore the natural ecology of the area. This technique called “prescribed fire” will reduce the amount of dried vegetation or “fuel”. Fire managers evaluate environmental conditions such as temperature, relative humidity, recent rainfall, wind speed and direction, soil moisture, fuel conditions, in order to determine the type of burn that can be conducted.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.
Questions about the prescribed burns can be directed to the Refuge office at (239) 472-1100 x237. Public Information Officer Samantha Quinn, cell 239/ 707-1654 will be available on the day of the burn, located outside at the Bailey General Store.”
