District plans prescribed burn at Garcon Point Water Management Area

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HAVANA – The Northwest Florida Water Management District plans to conduct a prescribed burn this week, possibly as early as Tuesday, within the Garcon Point Water Management Area in Santa Rosa County if favorable weather conditions permit.

The prescribed burn will improve the overall health of the Garcon Point Water Management Area, which consists of 3,245 acres on the Garcon Point peninsula between Escambia and Blackwater bays. By preserving the estuarine tidal marsh, wet prairie and wet flatwood habitats of this area, the District is also protecting at least 13 threatened and endangered plant and animal species.

“Prescribed burns are an important part of the District’s land management operations that help us restore natural communities and better protect our area’s natural resources,” said Brett Cyphers, Executive Director of the Northwest Florida Water Management District. “Prescribed burns are also a safe, efficient, and effective way to reduce wildfire risk.”

Although every effort will be made to ensure smoke has a minimal impact, drivers should exercise caution in case smoke does lead to reduced visibility on the area’s roadways.

The burn will be conducted by the District’s certified prescribed burn managers from the Milton office, with assistance from the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership. The final decision to burn is made daily, after reviewing the Predicted Fire Weather forecast for that particular day and after obtaining a burn authorization from the Florida Forest Service.

The Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership (GCPEP) is a public/private voluntary landowner partnership that collectively manages more than 1 million acres in northwest Florida and south Alabama. The 11 partners include the Department of Defense (Naval Air Station and Eglin Air Force Base), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Forestry Service, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Longleaf Alliance, the National Park Service, the Northwest Florida Water Management District, National Forests in Alabama, the Nature Conservancy, Nokuse Plantation, and Westervelt Ecological Services.