Prescribed fire educational outreach
The Loess Hills Alliance has received funding from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources's (IDNR) REAP Program to provide educational outreach to Loess Hills landowners. The focus of outreach will be to increase the understanding and application of prescribed fire to restore native plant communities and revive economic opportunities associated with livestock grazing. The Loess Hills Alliance has contracted with Agren to handle much of this work. "We want to help landowners to understand that the native prairie is worth keeping and protecting," said Bob Moritz, chairman of Loess Hills Alliance. "Red cedars, which can gobble up a prairie in 10 to 15 years, have such a head start in the Loess Hills that it's impossible to catch up by sawing them down. We need something more consuming on a big scale, and fire does this really well." The Loess Hills Alliance is contracting with Agren to distribute prescribed fire information directly to landowners through small group meetings and one-on-one visits. We have equipment for prescribed burns located in each of our counties," Moritz said. "We also have people who are trained in managing prairie burns. These are available to people who want to use them. We're trying to reach landowners who are willing to step forward and try something new, because neighbors follow neighbors."
