HARRISON, Ark. — North Arkansas College, in partnership with Buffalo National River Partners (BNRP), will host a lecture on the use of prescribed fire for habitat restoration at Buffalo National River. The event, titled “Implementation of Prescribed Fire in Buffalo National River for Habitat Restoration and Maintenance of Fire-Dependent Communities,” will be presented by Fenn Wimberly, Fire Management Officer for the National Park Service at Buffalo National River.
The lecture is scheduled for Friday, April 11, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and will take place in the Science Building Lecture Hall on the first floor of North Arkansas College’s South Campus, located at 1515 Pioneer Drive in Harrison.
Wimberly will discuss the objectives of the fire management program at Buffalo National River, the role of prescribed fire in restoring natural habitats, and the importance of maintaining fire-dependent ecosystems. He will also explain the process of establishing prescribed fire return intervals to support ecological balance within the park.
With more than 30 years of experience in wildland fire management, Wimberly is recognized as a leading expert in fire ecology and prescribed fire practices. His career has included roles with the National Park Service, the USDA Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where he managed multiple fire programs across Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska. He has also served as an instructor at the Interagency National Advanced Fire and Research Institute (NAFRI) in Tucson, Arizona, where he taught advanced prescribed fire management courses.
A native of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Wimberly developed a deep appreciation for the outdoors at an early age, earning the rank of Eagle Scout and fostering a lifelong passion for environmental stewardship. He studied forestry and fire ecology at Colorado State University, which laid the foundation for his distinguished career in fire management and conservation.
Wimberly began his career with the National Park Service at Buffalo National River in the early 1990s as a seasonal park ranger, where he was first introduced to prescribed fire and wildland firefighting. After 18 years working across various agencies and managing fire programs nationwide, he returned to Buffalo National River in 2008 as Fire Management Officer, overseeing the park’s fire program.
Throughout his career, Wimberly has contributed significantly to national fire management efforts, frequently serving on complex incident management teams deployed to respond to large-scale wildfires, hurricanes, and other emergencies requiring extensive coordination. His expertise continues to guide the restoration and management of fire-dependent ecosystems across the Department of the Interior, the USDA Forest Service, and other partner agencies.
The lecture is free and open to the public, offering a valuable opportunity for Northark students, BNRP members, and the community to engage with a leading expert in the field of fire management and habitat restoration.
For more information, contact Faron Usrey, Science Instructor and Undergraduate Research Co-coordinator, at (870) 715-9563 or via email at Faron.Usrey@northark.edu.
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