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Northwestern Colorado BLM lands move to Stage II Fire Restrictions (06-21-12)
CRAIG, Colo. – Extreme fire conditions in northwestern Colorado have prompted the Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit to increase fire restrictions to the “Stage II” level for all BLM lands in the Little Snake, Kremmling and White River field offices beginning Friday, June 22.
Stage II fire restrictions prohibit:
• Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire, charcoal grill, coal, wood burning stove or sheepherders stove, including in developed camping and picnic grounds. Devices using pressurized liquid or gas are exempted;
• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, trailer, building or tent;
• Using an explosive requiring fuse or blasting caps, fireworks, rockets, exploding targets and tracers or incendiary ammunition;
• Operating a chainsaw without an approved spark arrestor, and without a chemical pressurized fire extinguisher and a round-point shovel with an overall length of at least 35 inches that is readily available for use;
• Welding, or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame except with a current permit, contract or letter of authorization.
The use of fireworks, flares or other incendiary devices is always prohibited on federal lands.
Fire restrictions are based on the specific conditions on the ground. The moisture readings in vegetation in northwestern Colorado are drier than they have been in the past decade, and the “Energy Release Component” – which measures how hot a fire would burn – are as high as they’ve been in the past decade.
The BLM Colorado River Valley and Grand Junction field offices, along with the White River National Forest, are also entering Stage II restrictions beginning Friday.
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.
455 Emerson Street Craig, CO 81625