Fire!

There are many things about teaching that I miss like the relationships I enjoyed with students and with my colleagues. I also enjoyed the excitement of a new curriculum and the ebb and flow of a school term. There are also things I do not miss for a second. Fire drills certainly come to mind as a non-enjoyable teaching moment. Herding a squirrely bunch of middle schoolers out the door with ear-splitting alarms for marching music is not pleasant. Lining them up in an unstructured environment and working through the dreaded head count was even worse. Settling the whole brew down after our return into the building was another feat of insanity. Despite the challenges, fire drills and disaster preparedness are certainly necessary.

Fire is to be respected, but it can also be used as a tool. On my way to my favorite birding park (Arrowhead) last week, I noticed a huge plume of smoke rising into the sky from what looked to be rolling out of my park. As I approached the entrance, it was evident that a controlled burn was in progress. Needless to say, I detoured to another park down the road.

Science lesson time (you've been warned!). Arrowhead Park was experiencing a controlled burn as part of its prairie restoration goals. Much of South Dakota is in a grasslands ecosystem. Not surprisingly, urban development has put great pressure on our natural habitat areas and Arrowhead is committed to incorporating strategies to support the plants and animals native to this area. One strategy is fire.

According to the South Dakota Grasslands Coalition, fire can rejuvenate plant communities, increase nutrient cycling, increase wildlife habitat and control invasive plant species. A recent article in South Dakota Magazine emphasized the need for ranchers to stop the "green glacier" encroaching upon their available rangeland grass. The green glacier is the invasive nature of red cedar trees working their way northward into our state. The most effective way to stop the wave is, you guessed it, fire.

Now, before you start lighting matches to remove all that troubles you in your life, please note that using fire as a tool takes a great deal of support and expertise. Gratefully, there are resources available if you are inclined to learn more about such things.

Recently, the Sioux Falls Bird Club took a field trip to Pasque Hill near Beaver Creek. The gentleman who owns the property shared his extensive grassland restoration knowledge with us. With great passion, he explained his goals for the future of his property which include rehabilitating the soil and educating the public about the process. He also shared that the iconic Pasque Hill on his property was once covered with our state flower, the Pasque. Now there are few, if any, to be found. He hopes his grandchildren will be able to enjoy the beautiful purple spring harbinger just as he did when he was young.

We, of course, also spent time looking for birds darting in and out of the tall grasses. Sparrows, also known as LBBs (little brown birds), particularly love the seeds provided by the prairie grasses. There are approximately 15 different species of sparrows currently in our area, either migrating through or staying as residents. I confess there are only three kinds of sparrows I can comfortably identify. The rest of them confound me to no end. Despite that fact, I love their effervescent personalities and their boundless energy.

As we left Pasque Hill, we were treated to a goodie bag. It included grassland information and, my favorite, a wrist band with the following saying, "What is good for the birds is good for the herd." Be it grass, wetlands or fire, our feathered and furry friends are grateful for renewed habitat.

Birders at Pasque Hill who identified ten different sparrow species. Me? I nodded my head as if I knew what they were talking about. No need to slow them down.