Travis County Parks plans to conduct a prescribed burn at Pace Bend Park on Friday, February 24, 2017. The prescribed burn will occur between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., and will take approximately two to three hours to complete. Travis County Parks is conducting the burn in cooperation with personnel from Lake Travis Fire Rescue, Pflugerville Fire Department, Westlake Fire Department, CeBar Fire Department, the Lower Colorado River Authority, and the LBJ Wildflower Center.
The prescribed burn is intended to reduce wildfire danger and improve ecosystem health by removing invading shrubs, consuming dead and downed vegetation, reducing the number of exotic species, and enhancing the health and diversity of the native plant community.
The prescribed burn will be conducted with a northerly wind which will carry smoke across the lake and towards the communities to the southeast, particularly the southern end of Lago Vista. However, due to the small size of the prescribed burn and the distance between the prescribed burn and the adjacent communities, smoke impacts are expected to be relatively light and of a short duration.
The park will remain open; however, some portions of the park specifically near the southeast corner of the park (Baldwin Cove) and the Tatum Boat Ram will close for part of the week.
Pace Bend Park is located at: 2805 Pace Bend Road North, Spicewood, TX 78669.
Media note: The prescribed burn is located adjacent to the main road, and in order to minimize impacts to traffic and provide for the safety of the park users and fire management staff, no media will be allowed on-site. There will not be a PIO or staff available for interviews. Please call the PIO (contact listed above), or check in at the park fee booth for additional information.
