Southern Nevada District Office
| Contacts: | Kirsten Cannon | , 702-515-5057 | , kirsten_cannon@blm.gov |
Southern Nevada Fire Restrictions Announced
“Public lands should be enjoyed, but they must be enjoyed responsibly to reduce the number of human-caused fires,” said Chris Delaney, Bureau of Land Management Acting Fire Management Officer.
- building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire, except a portable stove using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel;
- smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle;
- welding, or operating an acetylene torch with open flames, except by permit;
- using, or causing to be used, any explosive, except by permit;
- using fireworks or firing a tracer
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will allow campfires in fire rings at Desert Pass Campground within the Desert National Wildlife Refuge.
Southern Nevada has experienced above average winter precipitation that caused an abundance of invasive weeds that fuel wildland fire. “Following fire restrictions and developing defensible space on private property will help reduce the risk of a catastrophic wildland fire season,” said Dennis Darling, U.S. Forest Service Fire Management Officer.
In 2009, Southern Nevada wildland firefighters responded to 166 wildland fires which burned 429 acres.
“Mojave Desert lands burned by wildland fire are more vulnerable to new fires because they become overgrown with invasive annual grasses,” said Glenn Gibson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fire Management Officer.
“These restrictions should be taken seriously,” said Aaron Baldwin, National Park Service Fire Management Officer. “Violations can result in a fine of up to $10,000 and a year in jail as well as the costs associated with resource damage, suppression costs, and injuries if found guilty.”
The BLM manages more land - over 245 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. 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.