Notice of prescribed burns: Missouri River Recovery Program mitigation sites, Nebraska

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, in contract with Cloud Mountain Forestry, will conduct prescribed burns from Nov. 20, 2025, to April 15, 2026, at nine individual mitigation sites located in the following Nebraska counties: Burt, Cass, Otoe, Nemaha and Richardson. The exact dates and times will depend on weather and site conditions.

The burns are part of ongoing fire management efforts to reduce wildfire risk and improve ecosystem health at specified mitigation sites along the Nebraska side of the Missouri River corridor between Decatur and Rulo, Nebraska.

The burns will be completed by a professional prescribed burn team and will be closely monitored by technical staff to ensure public safety. Minimal smoke impact is expected. Visitors and residents are advised to avoid the designated burn areas. Smoke and fire activity may be visible during the prescribed burns.

Burn areas will be closed to the public during fire operations and entry into these zones will be strictly prohibited. The areas are expected to reopen after the prescribed burn has been completed and fully extinguished.  

The prescribed burn locations are:

• Middle Decatur, Burt County, Nebraska - Approx. 5 miles south of Decatur, Nebraska.
• William-Gilmour (Tobacco Island), Cass County, Nebraska - South edge of Plattsmouth, Nebraska.
• Van Horn’s Bend (Lake Waconda), Cass County, Nebraska - Approx. 4.5 miles northeast of Union, Nebraska.
• Civil Bend, Cass County, Nebraska - Approx. 4.25 miles southeast of Union, Nebraska
• Upper Hamburg Bend, Otoe County, Nebraska (Island only) - Approx. 5 miles south of Nebraska City, Neb.
• Kansas Bend, Nemaha County, Nebraska (Island only) - Approx. 2.25 miles north of Peru, Nebraska.
• Nishnabotna Bend, Nemaha County, Nebraska (Island only) - Approx. 1.25 miles east of Peru, Nebraska.
• Brownville Bend, Nemaha County, Nebraska - Approx. 0.5 miles south of Brownville, Nebraska.
• Cottier Bend, Richardson County, Nebraska - Approx. 6 miles north of Rulo, Nebraska.

Questions regarding the prescribed burns should be directed to Ruth Bentzinger, Missouri River Project Office natural resources specialist, at (402) 996-3761 or ruth.e.bentzinger@usace.army.mil.