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DeKalb County signs off on prescribed burn at Dockman Landing pollinator plot, with insurance check
Summary
DeKalb County commissioners authorized a county signature on a DNR-prescribed-burn plan and approved a Blue Heron Ministries contract to conduct a controlled burn at Dockman Landing; Soil & Water said the plot was planted in December 2022 and includes 35 native trees.
DeKalb County commissioners on March 10 authorized a county signature on the state Department of Natural Resources prescribed-burn plan for Dockman Landing and approved a contract with Blue Heron Ministries to conduct the controlled burn, DeKalb County Soil and Water District Director Neli Puffley told the board.
Puffley said the pollinator plot, established through grant funding, started site preparation in 2021 and was planted in December 2022; Soil & Water has also planted about 35 native trees on the county-owned parcel. "We were able to get that funded through... and today I'm here," Puffley said, summarizing the timeline and asking commissioners for the required signature on the DNR document because the property is county owned.
Commissioners discussed safety and liability steps before voting. Puffley said Auburn Fire Department and local dispatch and sheriff would be notified before a burn and that Blue Heron Ministries would supply certified burn personnel. A commissioner raised liability questions and asked staff to contact the county's insurance agent to confirm coverage; the motion passed with the condition that staff check insurance.
The board also authorized the county to either sign the Blue Heron contract or allow Soil & Water to sign it; commissioners approved the presented Blue Heron Ministries contract later in the meeting. Puffley said the burn will only be done when conditions are appropriate and that the county aims to complete prescribed burns before April 1 to avoid impacts on nesting birds.
Soil & Water also briefed the board on the county farm demonstration project — a 12-acre tract divided into nine plots for 2025 testing of cover-crop and soil-health practices — and said a field day is planned for September 2025.
Next steps: staff will confirm insurance coverage and complete signature routing on the DNR plan; Soil & Water and commissioners said they will coordinate timing and notify local emergency responders before any burn.
