Prescribed burns planned in south Thurston County Thursday

Residents in south Thurston County should expect to see smoke mid-day Thursday as the Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) conducts two planned, prescribed burns.

Trained firefighters conduct the burns, which are aimed at controlling invasive shrubs and restoring prairie habitat, according to a CNLM news release.

The first burn Thursday is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. and span 20 acres of land at the Violet Prairie Preserve about 2 miles northeast of Grand Mound, according to CNLM. It should last about an hour.

At noon, CNLM expects to begin a second burn, this one on 20 acres of land at the Glacial Heritage Preserve about 2 miles northeast of Rochester. This one, too, should last about an hour, according to the release.

Winds are expected to blow southwest — to report nuisance smoke during the burns, call 360-584-6418.

This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 10:20 AM.

Sara Gentzler

The Olympian

360-754-5459

Sara Gentzler joined The Olympian in June 2019 as a county and courts reporter. She now covers Washington state government for The Olympian, The News Tribune, The Bellingham Herald, and Tri-City Herald. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Creighton University.