The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Northeast Regional Fire Program, with support from partner agencies, plan to conduct a series of controlled burns on the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) off of Red Brook and Great Oak Roads in the town of Mashpee and on Falmouth Rod and Gun Club Property off of Carriage Shop Rd. in Falmouth MA to reduce the risk of wildfire to nearby homes and improve habitat for the New England Cottontail Rabbit. The service seeks to burn one to six units in each of these areas that average between 10 and 20 acres each this year.
The primary purposes of this project are to protect people and their homes from wildfires and invigorate shrub growth to enhance habitat for the New England Cottontail Rabbit and Northern Long-eared Bats. Burning in a controlled manner under predetermined weather conditions safely reduces litter build up and ladder fuels that could otherwise fuel a wildfire and make it burn more aggressively and harder to control by firefighters.
The prescribed burns will be accomplished by a group of trained wildland fire fighters from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and cooperating agencies. Although controlled burning is planned to occur under a tight set of prescribed conditions which minimize impacts to wildlife and the public, there may be some short periods of time when smoke may impair visibility on public roads that pass through the refuge.
Video (part 1)
Video (part 2)
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