Fire restrictions implemented for Northern Nevada

Fire restrictions have been implemented in western Nevada by the Bureau of Land Management and other agencies.

According to the BLM’s Carson City District office, the fire restrictions are in place because of drying vegetation, increasing daytime temperatures and the igniting of human-caused fires. In addition to the BLM, other agencies are also involved with the implementation of fire restrictions within their respective jurisdictions: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Western Nevada Agency; Bureau of Reclamation-California and Great Basin Region; Nevada Division of Forestry, Public Domain Allotments; and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

The restrictions will last until further notice.

All agencies are asking the public to be extremely careful when recreating on state and federal lands and call 911 to report any fires.

For additional information or clarification on the restrictions, contact the BLM’s Carson City District Office at 775-885-6000; the BIA at 775-887-3500; Reclamation at 916-978-5101; USFWS at 775-423-5128; and NDF at 775-684-2709, or go to www.nevadafireinfo.org.

Stage 1 Fire restrictions

• Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire (using wood, charcoal or any other material), campfire, or stove fire except a portable stove using gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel outside of a developed fee campground or picnic area (except by permit).

• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or when stopped in an area at least 3 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared; of all flammable material.

• Operating or parking a vehicle or other motorized equipment over or on top of dried/cured vegetation.

• Welding, metal grinding, or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame (except by permit).

Stage 1 exemptions

An exemption does not absolve an individual or organization from liability or responsibility for any fire started by the exempted activity.

• Persons with a written permit that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act.

• Persons using a fire solely fueled by liquid petroleum or liquified petroleum gas fuels. Such devices, including propane campfires, may be used only in an area cleared of flammable material.

• Private landowners using charcoal (disposed of properly) or propane barbecues on their own lands.

• Persons conducting activities in those designated areas where the activity is specifically authorized by written posted notice.

• Any federal, state, or local officer or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force, in the performance of an official duty.

According to the BLM, all agencies are recommending land users operating vehicles or equipment traveling on or using wildland areas to have at least an axe, shovel and one gallon of water and to carry cell phones while in the wildlands or national forests to report wildfires.

As fire season continues, the BLM said all agencies will be aggressively citing those who do not comply with the posted restrictions. Violation of these prohibitions is subject to punishment by a fine and/or imprisonment (agency statutes vary). Persons may also be responsible for resource damage, suppression costs and any injuries that occur if they are found liable for causing a wildfire.

Safety tips

As a reminder, the following safety tips should be followed while target shooting:

• Refrain from shooting during hot, dry, and windy conditions.

• Do not use incendiary or tracer ammo. Incendiary and tracer ammo are always prohibited on public lands.

• Place your targets on dirt or gravel areas clear of vegetation and avoid shooting into rocky areas. Placing a target in dry grass increases the risk of fire.

• Be aware that all types of ammunition can start fires under the right conditions, especially steel core ammunition.

• Bring a container of water. This may seem obvious, but shooters often fail to bring enough water to put a fire out. A five-gallon bucket of water readily available while shooting could prevent a disaster if a fire does start.

• Bring a shovel. Use the shovel to dig a trench around your targets before shooting to ensure that any fire caused by sparks can be easily contained.

• Shoot at quality steel targets designed to minimize risks to both the shooter and the environment. For steel targets to be functional and safe, they should be made of high quality through hardened steel that has a Brinell hardness number of at least 500.

• Do not shoot trash. Trash like old couches and TVs can often be found illegally dumped on public land but can be dangerous fire hazards when shot.

• Shoot responsibly and clean up after shooting.

Affected areas

BLM: All areas, roads, and trails on the BLM-Carson City District outside of developed recreation sites except for Moon Rocks Recreation Area. These restrictions are in addition to and not separate from those which were issued at the BLM state level. https://bit.ly/3Qifalb

BIA: All lands administered by the BIA located within or adjacent to the BLM NV Carson City District. Approximately 300 allotments encompassing 59,310 acres in Douglas County, Nevada, within the Carson Watershed that the U.S. Government (BIA) holds in trust for hundreds of individual Indian landowners, collectively known as the Pine Nut Allotments.

Reclamation: The order applies to Reclamation-administered lands within the Newlands Project boundary administered by the Lahontan Basin Area Office, in Churchill, Lyon, Storey, and Washoe counties. Exception: the Lahontan Recreation Area.

USFWS: All areas, roads, and trails within the boundaries of the Stillwater, Anaho Island and Fallon National Wildlife Refuges. Campfires are prohibited on these refuge lands year-round.

NDF: State Parks and recreation areas in the Western region, including Washoe Lake, Mormon Station, Lahontan Lake, Buckland Station, Walker River, Dayton, Fort Churchill and Rye Patch State Parks. State Park staff may further restrict activities, such as building and maintaining campfires within approved fire enclosures or designated picnic areas based on local conditions and when “Red Flag” conditions are in place.