Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department is planning a controlled burn and deer hunts at Griffy Lake to improve plant and habitat diversity.
The lake will remain open for the 5.5-acre burn scheduled for Wednesday, although the Natural Trail and Hiking Trail will remain closed during and at least one day after. The department’s natural resources manager Steve Cotter said the burn will increase sunlight on the forest floor, enabling regrowth of native flowers and oak and hickory trees.
The burn will be conducted by Habitat Solutions Wildlife and Forest Management and supported by the Bloomington Fire Department.
Read more: Fire is a factor in the health of Indiana forests
The entire nature preserve will be closed to the public for deer hunts Nov. 12-13 and Nov. 19-20. Only hunters who applied and were selected by the city will participate.
Deer hunts have been scheduled each November at Griffy Lake since 2014. The preserve is a designated deer-reduction zone by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Cotter said the hunts are intended to reduce pressure on understory plants and seedling trees, which also should contribute to the recovery of oak forests. According to the Bloomington Deer Task Force, the Griffy Lake area is becoming dominated by plants that deer don’t eat, including many invasive species.
Read more: DNR: ‘report poachers this hunting season’
Since they began eight years ago, the deer culls have drawn protests from some residents who questioned their necessity.
