T-R PHOTOS BY GARRY BRANDENBURG

A controlled burn of a portion of the reconstructed prairie grasses took place on Wednesday evening. Staff from the Marshall County Conservation Board, who are trained and certified in controlled burn techniques, were on hand to begin the process at 7:30 p.m. A good number of the public attended to observe and make images on their cameras or cell phones. Weather conditions were almost perfect in that the winds were light and decreasing in intensity as the fire line burned its back face to create a fuel free zone. Jeremiah Manken, maintenance supervisor and park ranger, used a drip torch to walk a fire line around the perimeter of the field. The fire line soon surrounded the field, and by 8:30, it was all but over and out. A fire late in April has an added advantage of setting back or killing early season cool season plants like brome grass. Prairie grass species that are native have a late summer peak for their growth points just under the soil surface were not injured at all by this fire. Prairie grasses are in a group called warm season species, well adapted to warm, hot and drier climatic conditions. Prairie grasses do provide many natural foods and cover for upland birds such as pheasants.