HOLLAND (WHTC) — A controlled or prescribed burn is set for Friday on the Macatawa Marsh to get rid of Phragmites, Purple Loosestrife and Reed Canary grass — all which can choke out native plants.
The boundaries for the burn are River Avenue to the west, River Hills Drive to the north, and US-31 to the east. The southern border runs along Chicago Drive, Sixth and Seventh streets.
The burn could distract drivers using those roads, so motorists should take extra care in those areas.
Anyone curious to watch can find a safe spot at Window on the Waterfront Park near Sixth Street and College Avenue.
Columbia and Sixth Street will be closed to all — except residents and employees of Freedom Village and emergency vehicles.
The Outdoor Discovery Center Macatawa Greenway, Ann Arbor-based Plant Wise and fire services for Holland and Holland Township are working together for this project.
The announcement of the controlled burn plans was emailed to the media Wednesday from the City of Holland and included the following explanatory statement:
“Native plants provide better wildlife habitat by providing higher quality food sources and cover to raise young.
The native plants are also more efficient at trapping nutrients and sediment which helps to ease downstream sediment issues. The non-native species have no natural competitors in the marsh and this has allowed for rapid growth and has negatively altered the marsh habitat and wildlife community.
The loss of native habitat forces wildlife to find other areas to live and to raise young depleting the diversity of the marsh community.
The goal of the prescribed fire is to restore a natural balance to the marsh that not only benefits the wildlife that inhabits it, but also the people who enjoy recreational activities on the river and those who live downstream from the marsh.”
