The Dubois County Soil and Water Conservation District was named a 2015 Indiana Showcase District for its innovative partnership with Vincennes University Jasper Campus. In 2012, then VUJC Dean Alan Johnson approached the SWCD with a proposal to manage the campus’ 40+ acres of cropland. The VUJC Land Stewardship Initiative (LSI) was born.
The mission of the Land Stewardship Initiative is: Championing Conservation, Changing Minds: The Land Stewardship Initiative champions conservation practices at Vincennes University Jasper Campus to improve the natural resources, and inspires landowners to change the management strategies on their own land.
In November 2015, the SWCD and other local conservation partners participated in a breakfast and tour of the SWCD’s management strategies on the VUJ campus to celebrate the Showcase District Award.
One of the management activities toured was the prairie area near the main entrance to campus. Earlier in 2015, SWCD staff worked with members of the local conservation team to conduct a prescribed burn on approximately one acre of the prairie. The burn was part of a management regime which is necessary to ensure the long-term health of the prairie ecosystem.
Because a successful burn is dependent on the correct weather conditions, the damp cool weather created a less than ideal burn situation. The heat from the fire could not overcome the cool, damp burn material, and the fire was restarted several times to complete one of the selected areas. The next area to be burned was more successful, as it was later in the day.
The City of Jasper’s fire department was present to ensure safety and they also took advantage of the burn as a training opportunity. The burn plan was drafted by IDNR Division of Forestry personnel who are trained and certified in fire management, and Division of Forestry personnel acted as the crew chief for the burn.
The burn represented the SWCD’s effort on the VUJC property to demonstrate environmentally sustainable land management. A prescribed burn is a useful tool for maintaining a healthy prairie plant community which, in turn, supports a wide variety of wildlife. Burning away the accumulated thatch of dry grass and small stems allowed for new growth of the grasses and flowering plants. After the burn, SWCD staff and supervisors sowed forbs into the prairie to restore the balance of plants.