I see in the newspaper the Metroparks folks have applied for permits from the EPA to do controlled burns this fall, at Prairie Oaks, Pickerington Ponds, Battelle-Darby, and (I think) at the soon-to-be-opened new park down by Groveport. I'm sure other park systems may be doing burns too. Most birders know that occasional fires are part of the natural routine in wide-open grassland spots, and periodically are carefully conducted in parklands to mimic such changes. They'll take place after the fall migration, and by spring we should see much richer habitats for birds over years to come while the shoulder-high grasses slowly come to dominate again. Folks who recall, for example, the new Darby wetlands four years ago will see it renewed in several ways, and the cattails, etc. will return in time, and be burned once more. The few native trees involved--some over a century old and others only knee-high--are prairie species like burr oaks that are immune to rapid burns like these. Something to keep an eye on later. Bill Whan Columbus ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]