Travis County Parks plans to conduct multiple prescribed burns at Pace Bend Park the week of June 11, 2018. Two prescribed burns are planned and they will take place on different days. The prescribed burns will occur between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., and will take approximately two to four hours to complete. Travis County Parks is conducting the burns in cooperation with personnel from the local fire departments and natural resource agencies.
The prescribed burns are approximately 100 acres and 15 acres in size and are 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 burns will be conducted with a southerly winds which will carry smoke across the lake and towards the communities to the north. However, due to the relatively small size of the prescribed burns and the distance between the prescribed burns 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 along the west side of the park from the Collier boat ramp to Thrasher Cove and Kate and Johnson’s Cove will close for part of the week. A portion of the park road will be closed during the prescribed burns.
Travis County is currently under a burn ban. Burn bans limit certain types of fire-use in order to minimize the potential for accidental fires and to reduce the impact fires have on emergency responders. Burn bans do not limit all fire use (cooking, welding, etc.), and many activities are allowed with certain restrictions. Prescribed-burn managers conduct prescribed burns during burn bans because conditions are favorable for meeting established objectives. Land managers, regulators and emergency responders coordinate the implementation of the prescribed burns.
Pace Bend Park is located at 2805 Pace Bend Road North, Spicewood, TX 78669.
Media note: The prescribed burns are 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. Please call the PIO (contact listed above), or check in at the park fee booth for additional information.
