Controlled burn to take place in August at Hilltop meadow

Published 1:30 am Monday, July 27, 2026

The Bainbridge Island Fire Department held a community open house July 23 at Prue’s House, a historic cabin, to teach community members about the upcoming Hilltop meadow restoration project and the use of controlled burn as a tool for ecological restoration and wildfire risk reduction.

The event provided an opportunity for the public to learn how prescribed fire is being used to restore native meadow habitat, reduce wildfire risk and improve the long-term resilience of one of Bainbridge Island’s unique natural areas. Representatives from partnering organizations were also at the event, available to answer questions and discuss the planning and implementation of the project.

The burn will take less than one day to complete across 3.3 acres at a section of the Hilltop meadow. Preparation, ignition and burning operations are only expected to take a few hours, though fire personnel may remain onsite throughout the day to ensure the area is fully secure.

Although two dates are being looked at currently for the burn this August, the final day will be chosen based on weather conditions to help minimize smoke dispersion. Fire managers will monitor the wind direction and atmospheric conditions closely throughout the operation, per the Bainbridge Island Park & Recreation District.

For generations, Indigenous communities used low-intensity fire to care for the prairies and meadows of the Puget Sound, the park district shared at the meeting. After more than a century of fire exclusion, less than 3% of the region’s historic prairie and meadow habitat remains. Many are often curious why a prescribed burn is chosen over mowing the meadow. Although mowing is often used alongside a prescribed fire, fire itself provides ecological benefits that mowing alone cannot achieve, such as helping recycle nutrients, reducing woody vegetation and invasive species and stimulating native plant regeneration while reducing hazardous fuels, the park district shared.

The collaborative project is led by parks, BIFD, Bloedel Reserve, and Bainbridge Island Land Trust, with support from a grant provided by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Haley Wiggins, natural areas and conservation manager for Bloedel, shared that the groups are planning to establish a prescribed burn association shortly in the future. “It really is an amazing partnership,” she said.

Updates regarding burn timing, trail closures, smoke information and operations will be shared through the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District’s communication channels, BIFD says.