Prescribed Fire planned at Mashomack tomorrow, Friday, April 10
The Nature Conservancy will be conducting a prescribed fire on April 10, 2026.
In partnership with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and under the supervision of The Nature Conservancy’s Sasha Berleman, the burn will start at 11 a.m. and will conclude by dark.
During this time, smoke may be visible. Mashomack, the 2,300-acre nature preserve managed by The Nature Conservancy since 1980, will remain open to the public that day, though there will be limited trail access.
“Prescribed fire is a land management tool that is not only great for the health of oak forests, reducing understory vegetation and encouraging oak regeneration – it also has important benefits for people, reducing tick habitat and abundance as well as abating wildfire risk by reducing forest fuel buildup,” said Cody-Marie Miller, Stewardship Manager for Mashomack. “We’re grateful for the coordination and care shown by the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Town of Shelter Island, and local authorities in helping us inform our neighbors about why they may see smoke — and in sharing the many benefits of prescribed fire.”
The spring burn window at Mashomack is now in effect through April 30. Prescribed fire is weather and conditions-dependent; if those conditions are met during these dates, another prescribed fire may take place at the preserve.
