Prescribed burns along the American side of Rainy Lake are planned for this month.
They are to be conducted by Voyageurs National Park staff in selected wetlands in and around Black Bay and Cranberry Bay.
The controlled burning is intended to remove floating and rooted hybrid cattails, an invasive species to the area.
The park says hybrid cattails have invaded approximately 200 hectares (500 acres) of wetlands within Voyageurs, displacing native communities of plants such as wild rice, rushes and native cattails.
Park officials say burning will only be conducted during the day and dependent upon safe ice conditions allowing access to the areas.
Visitors to the park may see smoke resulting from the burning operations and asked to avoid those areas for safety reasons.
This project is funded by a variety of organizations, including the Outdoor Heritage Fund as part of the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment, Voyageurs Conservancy, National Park Foundation and the National Park Service.
