Team Echinacea has successfully completed some spring prescribed burns! Our mighty team of seven (Stuart, Gretel, Jared, Wyatt, Fannie, Brad, and I) took to Minnesota this past week to conduct a handful of spring prescribed burns. We set off bright and early on Sunday morning at around 9am to make the 9 hour drive from Chicago Botanic Garden to our study sites in Minnesota. Weather in Minnesota on Monday and Tuesday allowed us to get multiple different sites done including the coveted P1 and P8 experimental plots. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, humidity was low, the wind was blowing just enough, and the grass was very dry making it a perfect day. The days were long and the temperatures were high (in the 80’s), but we polished off both days with some great food and great conversations which are essential to any good burn trip to keep up morale.
Experimental plot p1 during the burn (left) and after the burn (right)
Fannie using the drip torch for the first time (left) and Jared lecturing Blue on the importance of fire safety (right)
Not only did we get some good burns in, but we were able to visit Runestone County Park on Tuesday morning. We used this trip to see the current restoration work being done at the park, and it allowed us to find spots for potential signs discussing different topics such as why prescribed fire matters, the history of prairies, and more. We also used our time in MN to get many pictures and videos to be used for dissemination projects discussing why prescribed fire is important for native pollinators.
Of course it wouldn’t be a complete trip to Minnesota without a stop at Staffanson Prairie Preserve.
This is part of our project “How Do Prescribed Fires Affect Native Prairie Bees?”
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
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