The Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District conducted a controlled burn last week at Ox Bow Recreation Area near Ulysses.
Out-of-control grass fires are not fun for any fire department. A controlled burn is a whole different view of seeing what happens during a fire.
The Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District, which includes most of the Seward County area conducted a 100-acre prescribed burn at Ox Bow Recreation Area April 11. Ox Bow, which is located one and half miles east of Ulysses has a 39-acre lake and native grasslands surrounding it.
A group of NRD employees met at 10 a.m. to help set, control and learn more about prescribed burns. The natural resources districts have trained employees who specialize in managing controlled grassland fires. Employees were on hand from the York office including general manager Dave Eigenberg who was in the smoke with everyone else.
The group was extremely professional and met with all the workers before the fire to explain how they were going to manage the fire. They back burn from the east side of the burn site and then burned into the burned area about two hours later with a slight southwest wind.
Prescribed burns are used for a number of reasons, which benefit the grassland, including the health of the native plants. The fire helps restore nutrients, manage weeds and reduce the risk of wild fires.
The fire at Ox Box was on the end window to get the burn done as the vegetation is starting to get green, which caused more smoke than normal, but good undergrowth provided very good fuel for the fire.
NRD specialists from Thedford and Gothenburg and a group from Oklahoma, the Chloeta Fire, LLC (CFI) which is an American Indian-owned and operated natural resources service provider which specializes in prescribed fire management consulting and contracting, attended the burn.
