Collaboration promotes efficiency in Midwest Region fuels projects

NPS staff linked up with The Nature Conservancy to burn a large area near Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Kansas

Natalie Thilges, NPS

In April 2023, NPS Midwest Region staff were joined by four members of the Western Area Fire Management team based at Denali National Park & Preserve in Alaska to conduct prescribed fires in the Midwest Region. The fire season in Alaska had not yet started, making it the perfect time to lend a hand to another region. Fire activity and needs vary throughout the country, and it is a common occurrence for resources to be sent to other regions to gain valuable training opportunities and to maintain qualifications. During the 30-days the Alaska fire module spent in the 13-state Midwest Region, they provided extra staffing so that multiple projects could be completed.

Along with the Nature Conservancy, NPS fire staff prepped, cut, and burned 1,500 acres at Tallgrass Prairie National Park and Preserve, Kansas, and also completed a 15-acre mechanical treatment around the numerous historic structures and maintenance yard.

Fire staff also prepped and cut fuels at two different sites in Indiana Dunes National Park and did a fuels project in Wisconsin on a portion of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

Big Spring prescribed burn in Ozark Scenic Riverways, Missouri in April 2023.

Natalie Thilges, NPS

And along with NPS staff from Buffalo River, they assisted with burning three different units at Ozarks Scenic River Ways in Missouri.

All total, nearly 4,900 acres were treated.

These projects were funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and are an example of how collaboration across NPS regions promotes efficiency in fuels projects. Alaska staff were able to help Midwest out during a time when conditions were better for burning there, and in turn, Midwest staff from Buffalo River went to Alaska in late May/early June 2023 to help with fuels work at Lake Clark National Park & Preserve. This collaboration allows for each project to be more fully staffed, work to go faster, and more acreage to be protected in the event of future wildland fires.

Fire staff heading to work along the Ice Age National Historic Trail

Matt Koller, NPS

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