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Prescribed burn at Asylum Lake scheduled for ThursdayApril 27, 2005 KALAMAZOO--A previously announced prescribed burn is scheduled for about 60 acres of the Asylum Lake Preserve beginning at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 28. Wind, weather and other atmospheric conditions must be right for a prescribed burn to be conducted safely and effectively. For that reason, Thursday's prescribed burn may be canceled or postponed on relatively short notice if unforeseen conditions arise. Any changes will be announced on the university's news Web site at <www.wmich.edu/wmu/news>. Prescribed burns are intentional and "managed" fires and are necessary periodically to maintain and promote the health of the native prairie grasses found in the southwest corner of the preserve, along Drake Road and Parkview Avenue in Kalamazoo. The area of the burn represents about one-fifth of the preserve's 270 total acres. Environmentalists and the public are welcome to observe the burn from the sidewalks along Drake and Parkview. The burn was authorized by the operations committee of the Asylum Lake Council and will be undertaken with the cooperation of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, Oshtemo Fire Department and Western Michigan University, which owns the property. The Asylum Lake Council manages the preserve as open space for passive recreational purposes under a Declaration of Conservation and Preserve Management Plan approved by the WMU Board of Trustees. More information is on the Web at <www.wmich.edu/asylumlake>. Media contact: Thom Myers, 269 387-8400, thom.myers@wmich.edu WMU News |
