Just outside of Springfield, Missouri, Wilson’s Creek
National Battlefield is witnessing development around its
boundaries at an unprecedented rate. In some cases, only a
fence lies between the NPS battlefield and large, new
homes. Begin with a steadily increasing wildland-urban
interface, add two tornadoes and a catastrophic ice storm –
and you have a hazardous fuels recipe for disaster.
Park managers and fire program specialists reacted quickly
to these events by planning and implementing a comprehensive fuels reduction effort. Interestingly, the
seven prescribed burns (totaling 841 acres) conducted in spring 2007 simultaneously met important
goals for maintaining the cultural landscape and ecosystem restoration.
Completing the prescribed burns in a professional manner included informing the public. Park
managers and the fire management officer were determined to keep the public apprised of the plan
and made education a priority to help prevent confusion or misunderstanding. Multiple press
releases were produced before the burns, adjacent landowners were phoned, and an invitation was
issued to the local television stations to be on-site during the prescribed fire. All of them accepted,
and gave considerable coverage to the event on the day of the prescribed fire as well as on the
following morning’s news program. In addition, radio station interviews helped reach an even wider
audience.
As a result, the public was exposed to important concepts such as fuels reduction, and the necessity
of fire for cultural landscape maintenance and ecosystem restoration. By proactively inviting media
to the incident briefing and organizing access opportunities to safely witness implementation, fire
managers helped the media effectively convey an accurate message. As one Wilson’s Creek NB
manager said, “I don't remember better media coverage for a prescribed burn at Wilson's Creek. I
think (it) turned a potentially controversial subject into an educational opportunity.”
The Wilson’s Creek fuels reduction project offered a reminder that although getting the work done is
extremely important… and a key element of successful implementation is helping your neighbors
understand what is going on and why the project is necessary.
Contact: Angela Smith, Fire Prevention/Education Specialist
Phone: (573) 323-8234 ext. 21
*This story supports the National Fire Plan |
