Lehigh Gap Nature Center in Slatington will conduct a prescribed fire Sunday between 10 a.m. to noon, weather permitting.

The purpose of the fire at the refuge on the Kittatinny Ridge is to help to manage the vegetation that is moving metals out of the contaminated soil into the food chain of the wildlife.The Prairie Grass Trails will be closed Sunday morning during the scheduled burn. The prairie grasses tend to thrive after fires and do not move significant quantities of metal from the soil into the rest of the ecosystem of the nature preserve.The burn will be visible from the west end of Palmerton and from Route 248 between Bowmanstown and Palmerton.The Lehigh Gap Nature Center is a member-supported, wildlife conservation and environmental education organization with its office located at the Osprey House in Lehigh Gap. For more information about the center and its programs, contact them at 610-760-8889,

lgnc@ptd.net, or visit

http://lgnc.org.