Park officials conducted the prescribed burn on 113 acres of grasslands and woodlands along the eastern side of the park Wednesday. This area is marked as Block D on the park' s map. Prescribed burning is practiced to maintain the plant community, control the number of exotic species and prevent wildfires by reducing excessive shrubs that could cause them. Dan Pacatte, park forester of Travis County Parks, said some people are confused about the practice. "A lot of people call it controlled

more »

... ing, but the correct terminology is prescribed burning, " Pacatte said. "It is an intended fire to prevent wildfires and promote new and healthy vegetation. Our goal is to try to reduce the debris, shrubs, trees, bushes and anything that may cause a wildfire to occur. " Charles Bergh, director at Travis County Parks, said the burned area will be closed until next week or until further notice. However, the rest of the park will remain open to the public. Park officials will be checking to ensure the fire is extinguished properly and the smoldering is contained, according to Bergh. Lake Travis Fire Rescue, Pedernales Fire Department, Plugerville Fire Department, LBJ Wildflower Center and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are cooperating with Travis County Parks in the burning. "It will be smoldering until Friday, so we will be monitoring the area until then, " Bergh said. The smoke will remain and emit a strong odor for a couple of days, but is not threatening, according to Pacatte. A press release stated the northerly winds might carry the smoke across to the southern portions of the park and nearby communities. Pacatte said Many people believe art and science inhabit two completely different spheres of existence. However, for UT alumna Hayley Gillespie, the two could not be more interconnected. The Ecology, Evolution and Behavior doctoral graduate opened the nation's first art gallery dedicated to displaying only science-related artwork. The Art.Science. Gallery in East Austin was founded in July 2012 with the mission "to make science more accessible to everyone through science-related visual arts exhibitions, " according to the gallery website. Gillespie said she hopes to engage people in scientific topics in new ways. Biochemistry senior Immanuelle Azebe-Osime said she appreciated the way this 2 NEWS