What makes fire such an effective land management tool? How did Michigan’s ecosystems evolve with and come to depend on fire? How do today’s burn crews conduct safe, well planned burns? Join Ottawa County Parks and Recreation for this free Learn & Burn event and get answers to all your burning questions!

This open house style program begins at 12:00 pm. Drop in anytime to explore hands on stations, talk with prescribed fire practitioners, and experience a live prescribed fire demonstration.

What to expect:

• Live prescribed fire demonstration with real time interpretation

• Hands on learning opportunities with fire tools, gear, and equipment

• Informational stations covering fire ecology and Michigan’s fire history

• Meet the Ottawa County Parks & Recreation burn crew

• Q&A sessions throughout the event

Event Schedule:

• 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm: Information tables, Q&A with staff, and equipment demonstration.

• 12:30 pm – 1:00 pm: Burn overview and crew briefing

• 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Live prescribed fire demonstration conducted by the Ottawa County Parks burn crew with live interpretation

• 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Information tables reopen, continued Q&A, and additional equipment demonstrations.

Registration is encouraged and closes at 12 PM the day prior to the activity. Learn more and sign up HERE.

Thursday, September 24, 2026

11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

TREX just finished up on the 19th and all our fire heroes are happily exhausted from the experience! So we’ve decided that the quarterly meeting will be virtual only via Microsoft Teams. Please note that you don’t have to have a Microsoft account to join.

Join the Microsoft Teams Meeting:

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/281267750963298?p=64V0lMruWKmG4Vt3Xr

Meeting ID: 281 267 750 963 298

Passcode: ed7yL3vy

Dial in by phone

+1 248-509-0316,,34240652 United States, Troy

Michigan Prescribed Fire Council – Quarterly Meeting (Draft Agenda)
Date: September 24, 2026, 11am - 2pm

Agenda
(Short Version - in no particular order)

• Welcome, introductions, and meeting goals

• Organizational fundraising - MPFC as a non-profit organization

• Strategic planning

• Partner agreements

• Karl Dykema - Muskegon/Newago PBA

• MI Prescribed Burn Survey

• Action items, assignments, and next meeting date

Please join us for our quarterly meeting to be held at the Bengel Wildlife Center. Send any agenda items you would like to see covered to info@firecouncil.org.

Virtual attendance is available via Teams

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/25356925485414?p=brtCsftOPFL58N1BTz

Meeting ID: 253 569 254 854 14

Passcode: PU2mA6Jo

Dial in by phone

+1 248-509-0316,,973991838# United States, Troy

Subject: Draft Agenda – MPFC June Quarterly Meeting

Michigan Prescribed Fire Council – Quarterly Meeting (Draft Agenda) Location: Bengel Wildlife Center (Lansing area) Date: June ___, 2026

Agenda (Short Version)

• Welcome, introductions, and meeting goals

• Tech/admin support update and document management alignment

• 501(c)(3) application status and next steps

• Bylaws “fireproofing” review

• Membership management framework (decision needed)

• Website redesign: final input and approval for handoff

• Regional Representative system: roles, nominees, and next steps

• Insurance needs for MPFC, including live‑fire coverage options

• Grants and funding opportunities (TREX, PBA support, MPFC capacity)

• Subcommittee updates:

  • Training & Qualifications

  • PBA Support

  • Outreach & Communications

  • Strategic Plan progress check

• Partner roundtable updates

• Action items, assignments, and next meeting date