WEST BRANCH, IOWA– Herbert Hoover National Historic Site will burn approximately 30-40 acres of the 81-acre tallgrass prairie located on the site. The staff plans to conduct the prescribed fire sometime between late April and the end of May. According to Mike Wilson, Chief Ranger at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, "Weather conditions and safety considerations will determine the exact date and time of the fire."
Park personnel last burned the prairie in the spring of 2011, when specially trained National Park Service fire crews burned nearly a third of the prairie. National Park Service staff follows a scientific prescription for prairie burning called a "burn plan." The burn plan describes the objectives of the fire, the fuel available in the prairie, the size and location of the prescribed burn, and the precise conditions for the fire. Safety considerations and smoke control play important roles in the burn plan. Although, the prescribed fire crew will employ methods that minimize the amount of smoke produced, anyone suffering from asthma, emphysema, or lung disease, and living within one mile of the National Historic Site should contact the park at 319-643-2541. If they leave their name, address, and telephone number, park staff will notify them in advance of the fire.
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum are in West Branch, Iowa at exit 254 off I-80. Both are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. For more information go online at www.nps.gov/heho or call (319) 643-2541.
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
110 Parkside Drive
PO Box 607
West Branch, Iowa 52358
319 643-2541 phone
319 643-7864 fax
Twitter: @HooverNPS
Facebook: HerbertHooverNHS
