The Science of Fire: How Controlled Burns Restore Native Prairies and Woodlands
Join us at JavaVino on January 9 from 7–8 p.m. for an engaging look at the role fire plays in keeping the Driftless thriving.
Did you know that the Driftless landscape you know today looked completely different just 200 years ago?
The Driftless Area was once a vibrant mosaic of sun-lit prairies, open oak savannas, and scattered woodlands shaped by the natural rhythm of wildfire. When fire disappeared from the landscape, those ecosystems changed—prairies gave way to brush and trees, and open forests closed in.
At JavaVino’s January Science Café presentation, The Science of Fire, you’ll learn why controlled burning is essential to restoring the health and diversity of the upper Midwest. Discover how burns are planned and carried out, how fire shapes habitat for countless species, and why timing and frequency are key to successful conservation.
Presenter Levi Plath is the Land Manager for Mississippi Valley Conservancy, a nonprofit organization based in La Crosse, WI that services a 9-county area of southwestern Wisconsin. Levi manages 26 nature preserves totaling nearly 5,000 acres and works with his colleagues, volunteers and other partners to implement habitat management projects to benefit the land, wildlife, and YOU!
He sparked an interest and passion for the land and wildlife from a young age growing up in rural north central Minnesota where he spent his childhood exploring the woods. With degrees in Ecology and Field Biology, Levi has spent the last ten years at the Conservancy working with landowners and municipalities to create land management plans, including developing prescribed burn plans and acting as a burn boss on countless properties. Levi is married and has two boys (2 and 4) so he doesn’t have a ton of free time, but he enjoys hunting, fishing, exploring new land and “geeking out” in prairies and in the woods.
This free event is part of the Conservancy's "Linked to the Land" series of educational events, sponsored generously by Olson Solar Energy and WXOW News 19.
Sign up:
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