Those living near or visiting Gary’s Marquette Park on Sunday can expect to see closed streets and smoke from a prescribed burn.
The Gary Parks Department will conduct the fires within units 1 and 5 near Montgomery Street and Marquette Drive as part of a conservation activity at Marquette Park, located at 1 N. Grand Blvd.
The fires are expected to close several streets, including the intersections of Oak Avenue and Newton Street, Grand Boulevard and Forest Avenue, and Montgomery Street and Marquette Drive/Locust Avenue.
The city said the smoke resulting from the prescribed burn is not expected to impact neighboring properties adjacent to the park, according to a news release.
The Gary Parks Department is permitted to use the burns to help restore the natural habitat at Marquette Park and Brunswick Park. Prescribed burns remove organic material, create space for desirable plants, and curb invasive species, as well as reducing the risk of wildfires while sustaining ecological balance, the release stated.
In addition, the fires aim to restore and maintain local native plant communities and to combat ticks and poison ivy.
For concerns, citizens may contact the Gary Parks Department at (219) 886-7099.
The Indiana Dunes National Park has been conducting prescribed burns in Gary’s Miller neighborhood this spring as well, including land surrounding the Douglas Center for Environmental Education on North Lake Street and 374 acres around the Grand Boulevard/Marquette Trail.