To the lady who tossed that cigarette butt ...

To the lady who threw her still-burning cigarette butt out the window of her white Thunderbird at College Parkway and Roop - wake up!

Take a drive west of Carson Street up Kings Canyon or into Lakeview or Timberline. From a distance, the hills are green, but a closer look will show the scars of the Waterfall fire. Take note of the empty lot where one of the 18 homes that burned is still vacant, the blackened trees, the naked hillside - or the hand-planted seedlings just taking root.

It may be that the rain stopped just a few weeks ago, and that the creeks are running high, but fire season is here. Already, since April 7, more than eight fires have been reported by the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Douglas, Lyon and Carson.

Two years ago, more than 8,000 acres burned along Carson City's west side. In 2004, it wasn't a burning cigarette, but an unattended campfire. But it could have been.

All it takes is one of these butts hitting some dry cheatgrass and a little wind - and we've got plenty of both in Carson City. So much cheatgrass that government officials brought in sheep to eat it up.

Besides the homes that were lost to the fire, we lost 100 years of forest growth that most of us will never see again in our lifetimes, despite the U.S. Forest Service's efforts to plant 123,000 seedlings this spring in the burn area.

It's another $200,000 of our tax dollars gone. Not that replanting isn't valuable, but that money could have been used for watershed protection or fuels reduction. This on top of another $1.2 million for seeding, mulching and road repair, and another $8 million to put out the fire.

So watch your tossing. Anyone can file a complaint with the police. It's a misdemeanor offense to throw or place any lit cigarette, cigar, ashes, match or other material which may cause a fire. If convicted, the fine is up to $1,000 or not more than six months in jail.

To the lady in the Thunderbird, you could be in court for a fine or even jail time, or worse - the fire costs could be yours to settle up, and you could have 18 homeowners looking to you for answers.