The prescribed burn also served as a PSD training exercise for helicopter-certified staff from Back Bay, MacKay Island and Blackwater Refuges, and VADCR.  Mr. Cory Waters of Alligator River NWR, NC spent the day prior to the burn on PSD training exercises for these personnel.  Culmination of the training included the practical use of the Mark 3 PSD during the prescribed burn of November 18^th.  All trainees participated in dispensing the “ping-pong balls” during that burn.  Burn conditions were excellent, as was burn coverage.  Additional checks of the burned areas will be conducted in the near-future to determine the need for mop-up work by a ground crew with drip-torches.

Press coverage of the exercise occurred with refuge staff transporting a reporter and photographer from the Virginian Pilot to the Long and Ragged Island vicinities during the burn.  The Press also interviewed members of the fire team and helicopter crew, as well as Cory Waters – on Mark 3 PSD operations.  An excellent newspaper article with photographs appeared in the Saturday, November 19, edition of the Virginian Pilot.

Extensive stands of the pest invasive Phragmites reed and dead vegetation matting were removed in a rapid, efficient manner.  This action exposed the soils to the sun, for potential germination of diverse native wetland plants in the seed-bank.  Such removals eliminate most undesirable seeds; rapidly convert undesirable plant matter to nutrients for germinating desirable plants; provide the opportunity for a significant increase in biodiversity; and eliminate monocultures of an invasive exotic plant.  These “spray-burn-spray” efforts are critical in restoring the significant wetlands acreages in the Back Bay watershed that have been lost to Phragmites reed.