The Southwest Florida Water Management District will be conducting “controlled, prescribed burns” during the months of February through April on the District’s Myakka River Project property. The property is located between I-75 and U.S. Hwy. 41 and between Myakka River and North Port. The scheduled, managed burns are a part of routine maintenance of lands managed by the District.
There is the potential to burn approximately 2,000 acres of land in small, manageable units.
Two of the areas of particular interest that are being targeted during this time are 390 acres near the boundary of Warm Mineral Springs and approximately 700 acres on the north side of I-75. These controlled burns will help protect urbanized North Port and Warm Mineral Springs from naturally occurring wildfires and human related fires such as car fires.
According to District Land Manager Kevin W. Love, burns are implemented to mimic natural fire cycles under a controlled situation. The object is to avoid uncontrolled wildfires and enhance the area’s natural conditions by maintaining the ecological and wildlife habitat values. Prescribed burns are only conducted when weather conditions allow the objectives to be met while minimizing possible impacts to the public.
Every effort will be made to assure that smoke does not affect homes or highways. However, vehicle operators should exercise caution in case smoke does lead to reduced visibility on the area’s roads or highways.
To meet various water management needs, the District has acquired approximately 300,000 acres of environmentally sensitive and water resource related lands through the State’s Save Our Rivers and Preservation 2000 programs.
For more information, please call the District at (352) 796-7211 or 1 (800) 423-1476, ext. 4465.