Fire restrictions to be lifted on Tuesday

Fire restrictions that have been in place since May 30 lift at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Bureau of Land Management’s Carson City district office, the Carson and Bridgeport Ranger Districts of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Nevada Division of Forestry.

Carson Ranger District is also ending its “Hoot Owl” firewood cutting restrictions for all of its woodcutting areas. Campfires still require a campfire permit on the Carson and Bridgeport Ranger Districts of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

The agencies cited decreasing daily sunlight, increasing fuel moisture levels and cooler evening temperatures as reasons to lift the restrictions.

“Due to the amount of moisture received this summer there has been a renewed growing season,” said Shane McDonald, Interagency Fire Management Officer. “We ask that as the new crop of grass begins to dry, the land users will be mindful of the potential increased risk of wildfire.”

The agencies remind recreationists to be fire safe with all their outdoor activities, including ensuring that campfires are dead out. Leaving campfires unattended is a Class B misdemeanor.

Other important reminders for all outdoor enthusiasts include: Exploding targets, including Binary Explosive Targets, while recreational shooting is prohibited at all times; target shooting, the use of tracer rounds and steel-core ammunition can greatly increase the chance of a wildfire; riding motorcycles and ATVs without a spark arrester and careless smoking can cause unwanted wild land fires; the use of propane stoves versus campfires and charcoal grill fires is preferred in current dry conditions; fireworks are always illegal to possess and use on all federal and Nevada state and private lands; firewood cutters must have a chain saw with a functioning, approved spark arrester screen on the exhaust; open burning on private land requires a permit from local fire departments.

For more information, contact the BLM-Carson City Field Office at 775-885-6000; the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest at 775-882-2766 in Carson City, and at 760-932-7070 in Bridgeport; the NDF at 775-684-2500, the BIA at 775-887-3500, and the USFWS at 775-423-5128.