Dept. Of Natural Resources

Division of Nature Preserves

DNR

• Divided into divisions (depts.)

• Enforcement—Conservation Officers

• State Parks—State Park Management

• Fish and Wildlife—Fish & Wildlife Property

• Forestry—Fire Dept.

IN Natural Regions

Enforcement

Fish Bio. F&W Areas

Nature Preserve Division

• Managed by Regional Ecologists

• 8 currently in the state of IN

• Coastal Program

• Indiana Heritage Program

• 176 Dedicated Nature Preserves

Mission Statement

• Division of Nature Preserves Mission Statement• The mission of the Division of Nature Preserves is to

identify, protect, and manage an array of nature preserves and natural areas in sufficient numbers and sufficient sizes to maintain viable examples of all of Indiana's natural communities. Nature Preserves will also manage and maintain viable populations of endangered, threatened and rare species. These activities will be conducted for the benefit of the natural communities, their representative species as well as the benefit of future generations of mankind.

Management Types

• Management—usually involves properties owned for many years, and includes exotic removal (manageable numbers)

• Restoration—either involves properties in bad condition, or newly purchased properties used for other uses (i.e. farm field). Involves large numbers of exotic removal, and may include planting

N.W. INDIANA

• 3 Regional Ecologists• 6 County Region

LaPorte Porter Lake Newton Starke Pulaski Jasper

IN Nature Preserves

Regions

Other Agencies

• Shirley Heinze Land Trust

• Save the Dunes

• The Nature Conservancy

• DNR—Division of Fish and Wildlife

• County Park Depts.

• Independent Contractors—3

Local—J.F. New

Grand Cal Region

• Clark and Pine

• Clark and Pine Bongi

• Gary Lagoons

• Cline Avenue

• Calumet Prairie

Other Grand Cal NP

• Ivanhoe (TNC)

• Gibson Woods (Lake Co. Parks)

• Tolleston Ridges (Lake Co. Parks)

• Dupont

• Seidner (Shirley Heinze)

Old NW Region (Kankakee)

• Conrad Savanna

• Stoutsburg Savanna

• Berns-Meyer

• Biesecker Prairie

• Round Lake

• Koontz Lake

Other NW Reg. NP

• Teft Savanna (F&W—Jasper-Pulaski)• Bill Barnes (F&W—Willow Slough)• Beaver Lake (F&W)• German Methodist (TNC)• Fish Creek Fen (TNC)• Ober Savanna (TNC)• Sandhill (State Parks)• Tippecanoe River (State Parks)• Ciurus Park (Town of Demotte)

Coastal Region (Lake Michigan)

• Hoosier Prairie

• McCloskey’s Burr Oak Savanna

• Liverpool

• Moraine & Suman Fen

• Thompson Bog

• Springfield Fen

Other Coastal NP

• Cressmoor Prairie (Shirley Heinze)• Coulter (Shirley Heinze)• Ambler Flatwoods (Shirley Heinze)• Indiana Dunes (State Parks)• Barker Woods (TNC)• Wintergreen Woods (LaPorte Co. Cons. Trust)• Little Calumet Headwaters (LaPorte Co. Parks)

TNC

TNC Preserves

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Ecosystems

• Oak Savanna

• Prairie

• Wetland

• Fen

• Dune and Swail

Year of Management

• Exotic Control

• Maintenance

• Burn Prep

• Burns

• Studies

Maintenance

• Least priority

• Mostly to manage for public

• Public not encouraged like state parks—no rec., only nature

• Remove items, trail maintenance, etc.

Spring Exotic Work

Garlic Mustard

Mid-May to Late June

Controlled by spraying 2% glyphosate

Early Summer

• Canada Thistle• Early June to Early

July• Seed or vegetative

bug (hard to control)• Roots up to 15 ft• 5% glyphosate

Mid to Late Summer

• Purple Loosestrife• Early July to Late

August• Eurasian origin as

ornamental• Takes over wetlands• 2% glyphosate

Mid to Late Summer

• Phragmites• Early August to Mid

Sept.• Native or Non-native• Clone—up to 6m high• 3% glyphosate

Other Exotics

• Knapp Weed

• Sweet Clover

• Bittersweet

• Privet

• Japanese Barberry

Woody Exotics

• Autumn Olive

• Buckthorn

• Buttonbush

• Grey Dogwood

Exotic Control MethodsWoody

• Cut and Treat

• Girdle

• Basal Bark Treatment

Herbicide License

• Administered by the Indiana State Chemist

• Consists of a CORE, then up to 14 different specialties

• Most DNR employees have Right of Way

Control--Spraying

• Foliar Spray Plant

• Needs 50-75% Cover

• Can Create “Collateral Damage”

Herbicides to Spray

Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine, C3H8NO5P)

Either Aquatic or Non-Aquatic

Determined by Surfactant

Brand Names are Roundup and Rodeo

Generic versions Aqua-neat, Glypro, and

Razor

Works by blocking aromatic amino acid creation

Herbicide—Sprays Con’td

• Garlon 3a

• Works by stimulating plant growth above plants capacity

• More harmful to applicator and environment

Herbicide Differences

• Triclopyr—selective—leaves forbs and grass—both sold as ester and amine salt

• Glyphosate—kills anything green

Woody Herbicides

• Pathfinder—generic of Garlon

• Garlon 4

• 50/50 Mix of a glyphosate

• Garlon and Pathfinder both have the ability

to penetrate bark.

Sensitive Area Herb.

• Wic

• Cut and Drip

• “Death Glove”

• Pull

• Mow

Herbicide Tools

U.S. Bio Control

• Galerucella pusilla and G. calmariensis —leaf eating beetles

• Hylobius transversovittatus —root boring weevil

• Nanophyes marmoratus —flower feeding weevil

Beetles

Biological Control

• European Loosestrife produces salicylic acid to prevent beetle feeding

• U.S. had no predator, thus loosestrife put no energy into defense, and energy into reproduction

• U.S. introduced beetles and weevils

Burn Season

• DNR usually handles the bigger burns, contractors are used for smaller burns

• October 1 begins burn season prep.

• Preserves are on a 3-5 year rotation

• Most burns are done on blocks, or other easily identified areas

Certification

• Regulated by the Federal Government

• Wild land Firefighters—Red Card

• Red Card—Pass S111-191, and pack test

• Not needed for state burns in prescription. Needed for escapes, and wildland fires on Federal Property

Inter-agency Cooperation

• The Nature Conservancy

• National Park Service INDU crew

• DNR—Dept. of Forestry Fire Headquarters

INDU

• 18 total• 10 firefighters• 2 Fire Stations at Lakeshore• 2 Large Engines, two smaller, plus ATV’s• Work with DNR, Shirley Heinze, etc. on Rx• Conduct own burns at National Lakeshore• Considered a National Resource—go to

Emergency Situations

Fire Headquarters

• Based in Martinsville, IN

• Usually has 2-3 engines, with ATV’s

• Engines usually carry 300-800 g of water + foam

• Work on prescribed burns, and give grant money to local fire depts.

Burn Lanes

• Most Fire Lanes are 5-15 ft wide

• Vegetation determines lane size

• Lanes are tied into something (i.e. river, road, or some other permanent feature if possible)

Fire Equipment

Lane Creation

• Mowing

• Brush Cutters

• Farm Disc

• Hand Tools (Leaf Rakes, blowers, Wildfire tools)

Burn Day--Prescription

• Check weather forecast—Relative Humidity and Wind Speed and Direction are most important

• Check Fuel Moisture

• Number of People

Burn

• Usually done with drip torch

• Start at a corner, and burn out

• Send out two crews, one from each corner

• Each crew has 1-2 torches, 1-2 Engines or mini-engines (ATV’s), and 2-4 spotters looking for fire outside the burn block

Burn

• Need the right temp. burn—usually 4-6 ft flame lengths

• May use backing—driving a fire into the wind or downhill to achieve a slower fire

• Headfire—the hottest part of the fire—usually when the block has been ringed

Mop-Up

• Move burning material away from lanes• Go over the lanes, and look for burning

trees, standing or fallen on fire• Cut standing trees• Cool off trees on ground

WaterFoamDirt

Studies

• Line transect studying deer browse on Baneberry, White Trillium, and Jack in the Pulpit

• Exclosure study with White Trillium

• Orchid Counts