U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
| Contacts: | Erin Curtis, 970-244-3097 | |||
Fire officials urge caution as weather heats up
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – As the Fourth of July approaches, fire officials with the Upper Colorado Interagency Fire Management Unit are reminding the public that fireworks are strictly prohibited on all National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service lands.
“With the recent wet spring, fire danger has been low. However, that rain has also produced a lot of grass that is beginning to dry out in the lower elevations,” said Bill Hahnenberg, UCR fire management officer. “That means fire danger will be higher, so we are urging folks to just be careful and take precautions.”
Fire restrictions are not currently in place on public lands right now, but Hahnenberg said that could change as the weather heats up. Information on fire restrictions is available by calling Grand Junction Dispatch at 257-4800 or on the UCR website at http://gacc.nifc.gov/rmcc/dispatch_centers/r2gjc/.
Fire officials are urging people to be careful to extinguish all fires, and be especially careful with cigarettes and matches, which can easily start a fire if they are disposed of while still burning.
“If you plan to have a campfire, never leave it unattended;” said Hahnenberg. “Make sure that campfire is dead out before leaving it. Choose parking areas that are clear of fuels and beware of dry grasses collecting near exhaust systems of your vehicle.”
The Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit is composed of the BLM Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction Field Offices; Grand Valley Ranger District of the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests; the White River National Forest; and the Colorado National Monument. It encompasses more than 4.5 million acres oriented along the Interstate 70 corridor from the Continental Divide on the east to the Utah state line on the west.
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.
Bureau of Land Management 2815 H Rd Grand Junction, CO 81506