The park will be closed Thursday and Friday.

Boulder County, Colo. - Boulder County Parks & Open Space and the Sheriff’s Office Fire Management Program plan to conduct a prescribed burn on Thursday and Friday, March 24 and 25, at Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain, east of the Town of Lyons, weather permitting.

The park closure is necessary to ensure public safety during burning.

Fire managers plan to continue the prescribed fire operations in the Arapaho project area that began in the late summer of 2017.

As with all prescribed burns, conditions must meet certain criteria for the burn to take place. Fire personnel will stop burning if weather conditions do not allow for a safe operation (gusty winds), or if the situation becomes unsafe for any reason. To determine if conditions are suitable for ignitions, fire managers assess fuel moisture levels and continuously monitor current and projected weather forecasts. Weather considerations include wind, temperature, relative humidity, and air quality.

Smoke and flames may be visible for days to weeks following a prescribed burn. There may be heavy smoke in the air. Please do not call 911 since a prescribed burn is not an emergency. The areas will be monitored to ensure fires are completely out.

Smoke from prescribed fires may affect health. The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment Wood Smoke and Health website and the Boulder County Public Health Wildfire Air Quality & Health website provide tips on how to protect health from smoke.

For additional information, contact Boulder County Parks & Open Space Resource Specialist Nick Stremel at 303-678-6290 or nstremel@bouldercounty.org. Updates will be posted to boco.org/burns and shared on the Boulder County Parks & Open Space Facebook and Twitter pages.

Previous prescribed burn at Hall Ranch