Travis County Parks plans to conduct a prescribed burn at East Metropolitan Park on August 20, 2019. The prescribed burn will occur between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and will take approximately two to four hours to complete.
Travis County Parks is conducting the prescribed burn in cooperation with personnel from the local fire departments and natural resource agencies.
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 southerly wind which will carry the smoke to the north across the park and the communities near the intersection of Taylor Land and Blake Manor Road. Some smoke impacts are expected but they should be relatively light and of a short duration.
The park will remain open during the prescribed burn however some portions of the park will be closed, specifically portions of the paved trail, the fishing ponds, and the disc golf course. Other areas within the park that are not closed may be impacted by smoke from the prescribed burn.
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.
East Metropolitan Park is located at 18706 Blake Manor Road, Manor, TX 78653.
Media note: The park will remain open. There may be a PIO or staff available for interviews. Please call the Park Supervisor for more information.
- Hector Nieto, Travis County PIO, 956-251-2902
- Glen Gillman, Park Land Manager, 512-844-7480
- Tanya Thornhill, Park Supervisor, 512-753-2868