Fire Ecology Annual Report: Calendar Year 2009; Southern Great Lakes Area Parks (INDU, LIBO, & SLBE)

Fisher-Dunham, Mary; Weyenberg, Scott

A summary of fire ecology activities and program information for the Park/network including fire effects plot workload, staffing, management objectives and monitoring results, and planning, fire monitoring, communications, and research. Also included are staff accomplishments/areas of focus, future program direction and other optional information (e.g. data analysis graphics or presentations, annual highlights, publications, program challenges, unique solutions to problems, collaboration, photographs of monitoring/fire activities, and suggestions on FFI). This was the twelfth year of the fire effects program at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (INDU). This year’s staff included one permanent and three seasonal positions. The crew is responsible for the monitoring at INDU and two other parks: Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial (LIBO) and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SLBE). At INDU, six prescribed burns were completed out of the eleven that were scheduled. Two out of the seven spring burns spring were conducted with wet conditions and Karner Blue Butterfly issue preventing the completion of the other five. All four of the fall burns were conducted. The fire ecologist visited INDU for a day in December to meet with Resource Management staff. At LIBO, one burn was completed in November. At SLBE, no prescribed burns were conducted. A burn is scheduled for spring 2010 in an old field.