Shakopee Mdewakanton to Conduct Prescribed Burns

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) is planning prescribed burns for approximately 210 acres in several locations on the reservation, possibly as early as mid-October, with five additional burns of up to 56 acres planned for local areas off the reservation. The SMSC conducts prescribed burns on reservation lands and in neighboring governments’ jurisdictions each fall and spring as an effective land management tool.

A prescribed burn is an intentionally lit, low-intensity fire used by land managers to replicate natural fires. In the fall, these burns are conducted after green foliage dies and turns brown. All prescribed burns are entirely dependent upon weather conditions such as relative humidity, temperature, and wind speed and direction.

The SMSC plans to hold prescribed burns in the following locations:

Off the reservation in Prior Lake

· 20 acres in Spring Lake Park – south of CSAH 82 and northeast of Howard Lake Road – requested by Three Rivers Park District, Scott County, and the City of Prior Lake

· 10 acres at Lakefront Park – requested by the City of Prior Lake

· 21 acres of oak savanna northwest of the intersection of Shoreline Boulevard and Howard Lake Road – requested by Three Rivers Park District, Scott County, and the City of Prior Lake

· 5 acres northwest of Highway 13 and Five Hawks Avenue in Prior Lake – requested by Five Hawks Elementary School

“Our priorities this fall are leading local prescribed burns in cooperation with several of our neighbors in Prior Lake and Scott County,” said SMSC Director of Land and Natural Resources Stan Ellison. “Prescribed burns bring many environmental benefits, including adding nutrients to the soil, releasing native seed banks, rejuvenating native prairie grasses, removing dead biomass, helping kill invasive species, and reducing the risk of wildfires.”

On the reservation in Prior Lake and Shakopee

· Approximately 190 acres east of County Road 83, south of County Road 16, west of McKenna Road, and north of the Organics Recycling Facility in Prior Lake

· 5 acres of wetland northwest of the County Road 83 and 82 intersections in Prior Lake

· About 15 acres south of County Road 42, east of Dakotah Parkway, adjacent to SMSC Public Works building in Shakopee

The SMSC is conducting these burns at no charge and using its own resources. Staff from the SMSC Land and Natural Resources Department who are trained in wild land firefighting conduct the prescribed burns on the reservation, assisted by Mdewakanton Public Safety and staff from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The prescribed burns are lit and managed following best practices.