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The National Park Service will host a Fire Management Program Open House on Saturday, March 8, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center.  Firefighters from the national lakeshore will be available to answer questions on prescribed burns planned for this year at the park. Videos, handouts, and a special visit from Smokey Bear are also planned.

Prescribed burns are a management tool that benefits people, plants, and animals.  These carefully planned and closely monitored burns remove accumulated dead plant material under controlled conditions, significantly reducing the threat of uncontrolled wildland fires in and near the national lakeshore.  Prescribed burns also promote the growth of healthy native plants that support the variety and abundance of plants and animals found in these natural areas. Maps of the burn areas, as well as displays and information on the role fire plays at the park,will be on hand.

The Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center is located on State Highway 49 just south of U.S. 20 in Porter, Indiana. For additional information on this event, contact Jim Whitenack at 219-926-7561, extension 357.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is one of 391 units of the National Park System ranging from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore includes 15 miles of the southern shoreline of Lake Michigan and 15,000 acres of beach, woods, marshes, and prairie in the northwest corner of Indiana. More than 2 million visitors come to this national park each year. More information can be found at www.nps.gov/INDU.