FORT PIERCE – The George Lestrange Preserve will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 20 through Friday, Jan. 22 as the St. Lucie County Environmental Resources Department conducts a prescribed burn on roughly 40 acres at the site, weather permitting. Officials plan to reopen the preserve by the weekend, as early as Saturday, Jan. 23.
The Environmental Resources Department staff conducts prescribed burns to reduce wildfire fuels and to help restore habitat throughout preserve areas in St. Lucie County. To learn more about the benefits of prescribed burns visit – www.goodfires.org.
Located at 4911 Ralls Road in Fort Pierce, George Lestrange Preserve is a 94-acre site that surrounds a 37-acre catch-and-release lake alongside the North Fork of the St. Lucie River.
Purchased through a voter-approved bond referendum, St. Lucie County’s Environmental Resources Department manages nearly 10,000 acres that are open to the public for passive recreation. St. Lucie County’s preserves are open every day during daylight hours.
For more information about the county’s environmental preserves, including closures and prescribed fires, contact the St. Lucie County Environmental Resources Department at 772-462-2526 or visit www.stlucieco.gov/erd.