Natural History Volunteer Newsletter...

Article reproduced with permission of Caroline Heape. If you'd like to continue receiving newsletters from Caroline, it's simple: VOLUNTEER!
Caroline can be contacted at caroline.heape@ccprc.com, and you can find CCPRC volunteer opportunities here:
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Hello Natural History Volunteers! My name is Caroline Heape, the Lead Stewardship Aide for CCPRC. I am so excited to be writing my first newsletter, and what a better topic than my first day on the job-a prescribed burn day! I was able to learn about and observe the prescribed burn, but in the back of my mind I often was thinking about the eagles and their nest.

Luckily, we had our very own Master Naturalist volunteer, George Gephart Jr, with us to observe the eagles during the burn. Here is his account on what occurred that day:

“I have volunteered to do the Eagle Watch at Caw Caw for the past couple of years and have enjoyed many wonderful sightings and experiences, but my visit on Friday, November 22nd was unique! Along with Kristina Wheeler, I actively watched the nest during the peak of a prescribed burn in former rice field nearby and also in the forest, literally beneath the nest. I had never seen a burn before and was amazed at the power of the fire, fueled by wind as it ripped across the field. We were stationed on the far dike, but close enough to see the “wall of fire” and how it occasionally leapt across the canal. Most remarkable to me was that the female (we assume) bald eagle remained on the nest throughout the burn. We believe that (s)he is incubating at least one egg, and perhaps we can set the “ incubation clock” to November 22nd, and hope for a hatchling in 30 to 35 days. What we will be watching for in the coming weeks is any change in behavior that might be caused by the fire and smoke. Hopefully the adult was not affected, and as Kristina says, “fire is somewhere deep in all forest and field birds’ DNA as it has been occurring, either naturally or intentionally, for millennia.” Perhaps they are inherently accustomed to the disruption? We will watch and learn. For me, my only disruption was that (to borrow the expression of new interpretive aide, Caroline Heape) I smelled like a campfire - a small price to pay for an outstanding experience.”
-George W Gephart Jr

Thank you, George, for dedicating your time to help monitor the bald eagles! With y’alls help we have been monitoring and taking notes on their behavior and it seems to be business as usual, post burn. Great news for our eagles!

Now, I wanted to explain why burns are important to wild plants, animals, and humans. Prescribed burns are well thought-out, with consideration of weather, time of day, and the specific place needing to be burned. Many measures are in place to prevent unwanted spread of the fire. Also professional staff monitor the burning area.
There are specific goals for prescribed burns, depending on what that habitat needs. Some of those might be improving wildlife habitats, opening up areas and allowing space for vegetation to grow, and allowing fire-dependent plant species to germinate. Another goal might be to manage invasive vegetation such as Chinese Tallow trees. Finally, the goal could be to reduce the chances of a large, uncontrollable wildfire to start naturally or accidentally, causing damage to buildings, property, and protected areas.

For the prescribed burn at Caw Caw the targeted areas are outlined in yellow and red on the map. The goal of this burn was to burn 63 acres (48 impoundment and 18 forested). Only about 20 acres were successfully burned.
The main purpose, according to Park Manager, Dennis, was to reduce invasive vegetation, keep certain landscapes the same, preserve existing view corridors, and reestablish habitat for bird species. Dennis is hoping to have another burn before spring to extend these benefits to more of those targeted acres.
Remember, fire causes change, which is biologically necessary to maintain a healthy ecosystem.