Weather permitting, the Pierre Volunteer Fire Department will conduct two prescribed burns on Tuesday, March 19. The first one will be at Hillsview Golf Course; the second one will be at the Downs Marina Peninsula.
Hillsview Golf Course
The department will burn a small area on the southeast section of the golf course. The burn will remove cattails in the area and improve water drainage.
“It’s a designated wetland for managing storm water,” said Jordan Steiner, Hillsview Superintendent. “Clearing out cattails and other debris will help with mosquito and critter control.”
The prescribed burn at Hillsview is expected to start in the early afternoon and take approximately two hours.
Downs Marina Peninsula
If weather allows, after completing the burn at Hillsview, the Fire Department will burn an area of nuisance weeds on the Downs Marina Peninsula. That burn is also expected to take about two hours.
Pierre Fire Chief Ian Paul says that smoke management is the primary concern for both burns.
“Wind conditions will need to be out of the right direction to dissipate smoke away from any occupied structures,” said Chief Paul. “If conditions aren’t right, we’ll postpone the burns.”
Agencies assisting with the burns include the US Forest Service, Pierre Rural Fire Department, and Hillsview Golf Course staff.