LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Parts of Iroquois Park in Louisville could be burned soon. It would be part of a controlled burn that will help clear debris off the woodland floor. The planned burn is contingent on several factors, including the weather.
28-year-old Mary Anne Fox is on her way to work but not in an office. Instead, she is living her dream as a field technician for Olmsted Parks Conservancy.
She is preparing Iroquois Park for the controlled burn. A job that is crucial to maintaining the woodlands’ health.
“Raking down to the mineral soil here where there’s no fuel that could catch on fire. So the fire should run right along this firebreak,” said Fox.
The controlled burn clears debris from the land to prevent wildfires. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, last year in the U.S., wildfires consumed over 7.5 million acres of land.
“We use the fire to burn up the fuel that is sitting on the forest floor and kind of disturb the soil,” said Fox.
Fox said the process is also great for helping seeds to germinate.
“When we add a level of disturbance to the forest floor, then the goal is to ultimately increase the biodiversity of the woodland,” she said.
Along with preparing for fires, she gets to forage. She snacked on persimmons, a fruit that is packed with a sweet taste and a folklore. When you cut the seed open, you can see a utensil and depending on which one you see will predict the winter.
“If it’s a knife, it’s supposed to be a dry cutting, bitter cold winter. If it’s a spoon, it’s supposed to be wet and snowy. You’ll be shoveling a lot of snow; but maybe not as cold, and if it’s a fork, it’s supposed to be a mild winter,” Fox said.
The persimmon Fox cut open had a shape of a spork inside of its seed. Fox hoped it would’ve been more of a fork. As she goes about her day, she could also run into wooly bear caterpillars that, according to folklore, also have a sense of the weather. They have 13 bands and each color represents a week of winter. A black band means harsh and red means mild.
“You can find them anywhere they eat everything. They’re generalist feeders. So, I’m just looking at the green and expecting them to be munching on something,” she said.
No luck finding any worms when Spectrum News 1 was with Fox, so she is sticking to the persimmons forecast. Thanks to Fox’s hard work, she is helping keep the folklores and the woodlands alive.
“For the rest of my life, wherever I am, I will be working with plants. I will be working outside,” she said.
Fires, fruits and fuzzy worms all in a day’s work.
The conservancy says just over 22 acres of Iroquois park are in the burn plan.