LAKE OKEECHOBEE, Fla. - A prescribed burn will be conducted on Lake Okeechobee on Friday April 26 to improve habitat for fish and wildlife. The prescribed burn will involve an estimated 6,800 acres on the western side of Lake Okeechobee near Observation Shoal.
This burn will be conducted as a joint effort by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), with SFWMD acting as the prescribed burn manager and the FWC and Florida Forest Service (FFS) assisting.
To help protect public health and safety, the agencies plan to conduct the prescribed burn under weather conditions that minimize smoke impacts to nearby towns and roads. Access to navigational trails through the marsh may be limited temporarily during the burns for safety reasons. If weather conditions are not conducive, prescribed burns will take place later in the week.
Application of prescribed burning is part of an integrated management approach on Lake Okeechobee, Florida's largest lake. Lake Okeechobee is managed in partnership with the FWC, USACE, SFWMD and Audubon Florida.
Prescribed burning is a safe way to apply natural processes, ensure ecosystem health and reduce the threat of wildfire. Ecologically responsible prescribed burns help improve habitat for fish, waterfowl, wading birds, the Everglade snail kite and other wildlife populations.
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