Dordt will conduct a prescribed burn in the Dordt Prairie on April 26

Professor of Environmental Studies Dr. Robert De Haan and the 14 Dordt University students enrolled in the "Wildlife Ecology and Stewardship" class will conduct a prescribed burn on the south half of the Dordt Prairie during the afternoon of Wednesday, April 26. According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, a prescribed burn is a way to "improve wildlife habitat or meet some other specific land management goal by purposely burning an area." A prescribed burn is done under specific conditions to manage the prairie; De Haan and his students will take appropriate safety precautions when engaging with the prescribed burn and have notified local authorities regarding their plans.

"For thousands of years, wildfires kept trees out of Iowa's tall grass prairies, releasing nutrients that fed a lush, new growth of grasses and flowers," says the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "Iowa's native tall grass prairies and plant communities developed under fiery conditions and are part of a fire-dependent landscape. By reintroducing fire, we recreate a process that maintains Iowa's fertile soils in grasses and wild flowers."

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.