Central California District
| Contacts: | David Christy | , 916-941-3146 |
BLM Announces Fire Restrictions for Lands Managed by Mother Lode Field Office
Effective July 1, the Bureau of Land Management is implementing fire restrictions on public lands managed by the Mother Lode Field Office This includes BLM-managed lands in Nevada, Yuba, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Sacramento, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Sutter and Mariposa counties, about 230,000 acres. The fire restrictions will remain in effect until further notice.
BLM Battalion Chief Brian Mulhollen said the restrictions are needed due to dry fuels and fire danger throughout Central California. “A wildfire under these conditions could pose a serious threat to public land visitors and resources, and adjacent private lands and communities,” he said.
According to Mulhollen, all campfires and barbeques are limited to designated fire rings in campgrounds. Portable stoves with gas, jellied petroleum or pressured liquid fuel are authorized with a valid California campfire permit, but the public is asked to be extremely careful with their use and carry a shovel and water at all times.
Other restrictions include:
• Do not operate tools powered by internal combustion engines off established roads or trails.
• No smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, or at a designated developed recreation site, or other designated areas.
• No motorized vehicles off established roads or trails.
• No shooting using incendiary, tracer, steel core or armor piercing ammunition.
• No fireworks, including "safe and sane" fireworks.
The BLM advises homeowners to “Take Responsibility” and keep 100 feet of clean, open space around their homes to provide defensible space and improve the chance that their homes and families can be saved in an uncontrolled wildfire.
For further information on the fire restrictions, contact the Bureau of Land Management Mother Lode Field Office at (916) 941-3101.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Central California District 2800 Cottage Way Sacramento, CA 95825