Have a great holiday weekend but . . .

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.—Crews with the Upper Colorado River (UCR) Interagency Fire Management Unit want you to have a great holiday weekend, but they’re hoping because of safety precautions you’ll take on our public lands and national forests, they’ll be bored. With fire restrictions in effect and some of the driest conditions seen since 2002, the public needs to use extreme caution this 4th of July holiday.

“This is a good time of year to remind folks that the use of fireworks on our public lands is prohibited year-round,” Acting Fire Management Officer Chris Farinetti said. “We want you to have a safe and fun holiday weekend, but please be careful—fuels are at a highly combustible level right now.”

Much of western Colorado is in the very high to extreme fire danger, with hot, dry weather expected to continue for the next several days. Crews across the Western Slope have been battling both large and small fires in recent days. Stage I temporary fire restrictions for the Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs Field Offices will be in place until further notice and are as follows:
· campfires only allowed within designated fire grates in developed campgrounds (fire pans are not acceptable)
· no smoking except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or in a barren area free of vegetation
· no use of explosive materials
· no welding or operation of an acetylene or other similar torch with open flame
· no operation of any internal combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed and in working order

The BLM depends on the public to watch for illegal or unsafe practices on public lands and asks you to report incidents to the nearest field office. The public also needs to know that the ramifications to those who choose to be careless and disregard fire restrictions are severe. Violations are punishable by law, and fines can amount to $100,000 and/or imprisonment up to 12 months. Statewide fire restrictions can be viewed at http://www.dola.state.co.us/oem/PublicInformation/firebans/firebans2006.htm. Other useful fire-related websites include http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/fire/gjc/, http://www.nifc.gov/ and http://gacc.nifc.gov/rmcc/.

-BLM-