On Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, a nice piece of ground was burned at the Cheyenne Bottoms. Many of you saw the plumes of smoke from the surrounding communities. Jason Wagner and his crews burned 550 acres in pool 2 for cattail and phragmites control.
It is important to understand the processes and goals of these burns. If you consider the Flint Hills that are burned every year to promote grass development and growth – what is the difference? The cattails are so thick that the ground doesn’t dry and the pool becomes essentially unusable. Phragmites and cattails both flourish with the burning process just like the Flint Hills grass. Removing the thick covering of foliage is necessary to be able to disc and break up the ground and destroy the root systems of the invading plants. The drought has been very supportive of this effort. Jason prefers no rain until the discing is complete. The cattails and phragmites were sprayed in 2021 in anticipation of this burn.
It is also beneficial to burn the grass areas around the pools. That is the next project. The plan is to burn the grass areas every five years. This will promote better habitat for upland birds, waterfowl and shore birds.
The burning process is carefully regulated and monitored. County rules prohibit burning if the wind is over 14 miles per hour. The relative humidity has to be greater than 30%. The crews are carefully positioned and the burn is carefully monitored. There are 30-foot fire guards created in the fall before the burn. There is also a detailed written plan for each burn. Nothing is left to chance.
I asked Area Wildlife Manager Jason Wagner about the success of this burn, and he was very pleased. There are a few areas of cattail that survived and will provide cover for wildlife and birds when the rains come again.
For educational purposes, I will relate a much less regulated burn that occurred several years ago (2009 to be exact) at the Duck Club. A couple of well-intentioned members decided to burn off the cattails. I am sure they had county approval but lacked knowledge about wind and humidity and definitely didn’t anticipate the rapidity of the fire progression and didn’t know the necessity of a firebreak around the property. They started in two different areas with 10-foot cattails separating them. With minimal effort, they managed to burn down some fences on the property line with the Nature Conservancy and destroyed a brand new pickup belonging to one of them. It required calling the fire department, game wardens, and almost everyone to get it under control. Amazingly, they are still friends. I can still hear the tires exploding and we were both amazed that the gas tank didn’t make much noise at all. The horn continued to honk spontaneously when there was no evidence of battery support. Future burns at the club are on hold. You cowboy pyromaniacs best take notice.
We are so fortunate to have management at the Bottoms that is so wise and diligent. Our marsh is in good hands, and the rain will come. Thank you, Jason, Gene, Kim, Brian, and everyone for all you do.
Everyone should go out and see the new headquarters building, the new pumps, and the flurry of activity that happens every day to make our marsh the best it can be.
Be smart if you are going to burn something. I can still envision the horrible fire that occurred with that big wind up north – that was a tragedy of unknown proportions. Those ranchers are slowly recovering – a great testimony to the strength and resolve of Kansas folks! We live in a great place!
The DU banquet is April 1. Don’t wait to get tickets.
Doc
Doctor Dan Witt is a retired physician and nature enthusiast. He can be reached at danwitt01@gmail.com.
