CAMP RIPLEY , Minn. , Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of the wildfires that have devastated southern California , The Nature Conservancy and its Fire Learning Network partners will convene Nov. 5-7 at Camp Ripley in central Minnesota . The Fire Learning Network Workshop will focus on building support for collaborative, community-based fire management planning that can protect people and property while restoring natural landscapes. In many landscapes, human alterations to the role of natural fire has altered ecosystems and increased wildfire risks. Scientific management strategies include controlled, prescribed burns in forest and prairie landscapes and forest thinning techniques.

 

The Fire Learning Network (FLN) is a cooperative effort of The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior. This week's workshop, which will be held in the Education Building at Camp Ripley , will feature speakers, problem-solving exercises and success stories about collaborative efforts between public and private partners. On a Thursday, Nov. 6, field trip (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.) participants will view 15,000 acres that were blackened in planned burns this year within the 53,000-acre Camp Ripley Army National Guard training facility. At Camp Ripley , past controlled burns have been done for hazard reduction; today, with The Nature Conservancy's involvement, ecological goals are considered as well.

Garth Fuller, central Minnesota project director for The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota , said: "We are pleased to have the opportunity at this workshop to discuss and demonstrate our work in the Camp Ripley/Lake Alexander area. This is part of Minnesota 's Prairie-Forest Border ecoregion, where The Nature Conservancy increasingly is using fire restoration as an ecological tool to manage large landscapes."

Camp Ripley is a fire-dependent landscape that is home to many species, including endangered Blanding's turtles and the Upper Midwest 's healthiest population of red-shouldered hawks. This year at Camp Ripley , The Nature Conservancy trained more than 70 people to work on controlled burn crews.

In Minnesota , only about 150,000 acres (less than 1 percent) of original native prairie remains. Scientists have discovered that prairie grasses and flowers, which have extensive protected root systems, benefit from fires that prevent the infiltration of brush, trees and non-prairie grasses. Fires on the prairie also remove dead vegetation, encourage new growth and improve habitats for prairie bird, mammal and butterfly species, many of them endangered. Wild animals and birds recognize fire and can escape the flames by going underground or moving away temporarily.

In addition to burns at Camp Ripley and other prairie areas around the state, The Nature Conservancy this year burned more than 16,000 acres in the Tallgrass Aspen Parkland landscape in northern Minnesota along the border with Manitoba . Another 3,000 Canadian acres are scheduled to be burned in that area next year.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America , the Caribbean , Asia and the Pacific. Visit us on the Web at nature.org .

The Minnesota Chapter has 23,000 members and manages 56 preserves totaling 67,000 acres. Since the Chapter began in 1958, with the aid of volunteers it has been involved in the protection of over 400,000 acres in the state, including native prairies, wetlands and woodland communities.