ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. — Acres of land surrounding M-89 was covered with smoke on Tuesday afternoon, and the DNR said it was all for good reason.
“We’re doing this prescribed burn and it costs a lot of time and money. So, we wouldn’t be doing this if there wasn’t a great benefit, and there is,” said wildlife biologist Don Poppe. “It’s a type of disturbance. So, if you think of a tornado going through and knocking down trees or a flood that kills trees, this is another type of natural disturbance.”
Tuesday, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources burned 200 acres, said Paul Rogers with the DNR.
Poppe said the prescribed burn, also known as a controlled burn, is designed to go through the underbrush and kill some of the woody brush so that ultimately “wildflowers like lupin can grow.”
Lupins are in abundance at the Allegan gaming area.
“Lupin is super important out here. This area that we’re burning right now isn’t currently occupied by Karner Blue Butterflies. But Karner Blue Butterflies are a federally endangered species that we have out here in Allegan,” Poppe said. "The butterflies lay their eggs on the lupin. The larvae hatch and feed on the lupin and they overwinter on the lupin. So they’re obligated to that one plant species.”
Poppe said historically, 59 percent of the 50,000 acres at the game area would have wildfires. But, prescribed burns help to prevent that from happening.
“These prescribed burns, we actually have to prioritize them very carefully ‘cause we don’t have enough staffing or time to burn everything that needs burning,” he said. “So, we put emphasis on areas that benefit certain species like Karner Blue Butterflies.”
Rogers said that the burn would continue into the night, which they will monitor. But, in the end new lupins will grow and soon the butterflies will come.
“The results after this is actually going to be a lot of herbaceous growth [and] young wildflowers, and those are all things that deer eat,” Poppe said. “It’s a really good area for turkeys and their pults to feed in it. Then it’s beneficial to all of invertebrates like the Karner Blue Butterflies as well. So, it’s kind of a rejuvenation of the habitat for a lot of wildlife.”
