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BURNETT COUNTY

WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2018 VOL. 56 NO. 28 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00

IT’S ALMOST FAIR TIME! See the 2018 Fair Exhibitor Book. INSIDE

First Baptist improves accessibility JONATHAN RICHIE EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM

MICHAEL THOMPSON

FALUN –– First Baptist Church in Falun will have a new entryway and a power lift that will help their congregation get into Sunday services and other events by June. Pastor Mike Kleven of First Baptist said the main goal of their remodel is to provide all members of the church with better access to the building. Along with the lift, the 109-year-old church will also be adding two classrooms and two storage rooms in the two-story addition. While the men on site were diligently painting the new entry way they tried to reverse think how old the church is. All are members of the congregation and they seem to enjoy the light brown/tannish color the entryway is sporting. The three men, Billy Haraldson, Karl Johnson and Les Olson, went back and forth for a few minutes about whether it was the 75th or 125th anniversary, eventually settling on 2009 as the 100 year anniversary of the church.

A Sand Hill Crane exists Crex Meadows during a prescribed burn in Grantsburg. SEE FALUN CHURCH, PAGE 2

The importance of prescribed burns JONATHAN RICHIE EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM

BURNETT COUNTY –– The Wisconsin DNR has been doing prescribed burns at Crex Meadows for the last 70 years. Prescribed burns are done for a number of reasons including reducing the possibilty of wildland fires. Crex Meadows is about 30,000 acres located north of Grantsburg. It’s an international birding destination and prescribed burns are integral for keeping the ecosystem healthy. “Prescribed fires really help us manage the wildlife and manage their habitat,” said Robert Hanson of the Wisconsin DNR. “It also helps grow new vegetation and brings in new flowering

plants.” He added that they try and do the prescribed burns at this point in spring before nesting season begins that way they don’t disrupt a large portion of the wildlife living at Crex. Hanson explains that controlled burn fire or prescribed fires are incredibly helpful to the ecosystem. He said that walking around Crex one may note that a field may have thick grass that is about chest high and on the other it will be around the knee level. “You’ll know then that the taller grass is from the field that was burned only a few years ago,” Hanson said. Michele Witecha is a prescribed fire specialist with the DNR and also has a background in wildlife

studies. She said that the individual wildlife in the prescribed burns areas is very important, but the DNR is operating on an entire landscape scale. “It is about the needs of many outweighing the needs of a few,” Witecha said. “If we go through and burn one or two nests, it’s worth it because we’re not just dealing and managing that one species. At Crex we’re looking at the entire avian community.” Hanson and Witecha both brought up the illustrious turkey in this regard. “Turkeys are prolific nesters,” Witecha said. “They will have a nest one day and then two days later they’ll have a different

Off-roading on two wheels: The first Fat Fish 40 Bike Race takes to the trails LINDA LUHMAN SENTINEL STAFF

WEBSTER—Bikers rolled into Webster on Saturday, May 5. Fat bikers that is. After months of planning and anticipation, the Fat Fish 40 Bike Race began in bright sunlight and warm temperatures. A total of 90 riders took part in the first ever fat bike race in Burnett County, storming a 40-mile course that was a combination of snow mobile/ATV trails, tarmac, logging roads and single tracks. While the race was originally conceived for fat bikes, organizers allowed those with mountain, cyclocross or gravel bikes to join in the fun.

SEE PRESCRIBED BURNS, PAGE 2 SEE FAT FISH 40, PAGE 8

NEWS 715-463-2341 editor@burnettcountysentinel.com

ADVERTISING 715-463-2341 sales1@burnettcountysentinel.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS 715-463-2341 office@burnettcountysentinel.com

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