Burn Baby Burn!

Wow! I’m just sitting down at my computer for the first time this week (It’s currently 9:15 p.m. on Thursday), which if you knew me is quite the feat! Water 6 has been super busy this week burning and pulling fencing down. We’ve had late days every day this week, but it was well worth it.

Monday a few of us went to a conservation area called Painted Rock where we burned 145 acres (relatively small area in comparison to some burns we’ve had). Although the burn was relatively small, it took up most of the day because of wind change and the steep slopes we had to climb. By the end of the day we were all exhausted. When we got home I ate, showered, and fell asleep all within an hour. I can’t remember the last time I was that tired!

Wednesday we got to do a pretty cool burn down the median on Highway 54. They had MODOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) out there putting cones out for us. Also, police officers were patrolling the highway to get people to slow down while we were out there. It was pretty awesome and scary at the same time! I never got used to hearing cars zoom by so close, let alone not always being able to see them right away through the smoke that was a constant cover over the highway. I kept thinking to myself about how many people we probably scared that day, with the smoke from the burn.

Today we had the great pleasure to entertain Alann, our wonderous Unit Leader. He came through to check on us and see how our project is going. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to make it to the burn we did this morning, but he did get to see the end result. He hung out with us for the majority of the day and evening. He even ate dinner with us at our little house on the prairie. We felt very honored to have a guest of such high esteem visit and dine with us.

Overall, the project has been wonderful. When we’re not burning we’re usually pulling fence down or removing Japanese Honeysuckle. I do have to say the best part of the project is the burning. I’ve gotten some great pictures as a result! It’s also really awesome to see how the land changes just in two weeks. Here’s a picture of the nearly 400 acres we burned a few weeks ago and how it has progressed just in the past 2 weeks. It’s pretty awesome to be able to see the results of the burn so quickly. It’s amazing how nature is just able to regenerate.

I’m enjoying my time here in Missouri, but I am excited to be heading back to Denver in a few weeks to reunite with my Water 4!

~Jenna