Fire restrictions expire on Monday

Fire restrictions will expire just after midnight on Monday for the Bureau of Land Management, Carson City District Office, the Carson & Bridgeport Ranger Districts of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and the Nevada Division of Forestry's Sierra Forest Fire Protection District ,

Restrictions have been in place since July 16.

"Decreasing daily sunlight, increasing fuel moisture levels, and cooler evening temperatures are allowing us to lift fire restrictions," note the agency Fire Management Officers. "However, wildfire will still be a danger until we receive significant moisture this fall. We encourage the public to continue enjoying their federal, state, and private lands responsibly by being very careful with any fire."

Nevada State Parks that are lifting fire restrictions include Lake Tahoe Nevada, Washoe Lake, the Carson River Ranches portion of Ft. Churchill, and Dayton.

Campfires still require a campfire permit on the Carson & Bridgeport Ranger Districts of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Recreationists need to be fire safe with all their outdoor activities, including insuring that their campfires are dead out. Leaving campfires unattended is a class B misdemeanor. Other important reminders for all outdoor enthusiasts include the following:

• Target practice, riding motorcycles/ATVs without a spark arrester, and careless smoking can all cause unwanted wildland fires.

• The use of propane stoves versus campfires and charcoal grill fires

is still preferred in these dry conditions.

• Fireworks are always illegal to possess and use on Nevada's federal, state, or local lands.

• Firewood cutters must have a chainsaw with a functioning, approved spark arrester screen on the exhaust.

• Open burning on private land still requires a permit from local fire departments.

For more information on this release, please contact the BLM-Carson City Field Office at 885-6000; the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest at 882-2766 in Carson, and at 760-932-7070 in Bridgeport; or the Nevada Division of

Forestry at 684-2500.