NJFFSA16
06-06-2002, 06:41 AM
There's nothing like reactive measures being taken at this time. They've closed the barn door after the horse was out. BUT..at the least, it's an effort at preventing any further, human caused fires.
______________________________ _______________________
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Interior Department and Forest Service on
Wednesday banned open fires on federal lands across Colorado in an
effort to avoid more wildfires in the drought-stricken state.
Gov. Bill Owens banned fire on state lands on Tuesday. Most
Colorado counties and the cities of Denver and Colorado Springs
also have some level of fire ban in place.
"The severe drought conditions and the impact of wildfires on
Colorado make this restriction on the public use of fire and of
fireworks on federal lands appropriate and very necessary,"
Interior Secretary Gale Norton said in a statement.
The order bans open fires on all land under the jurisdiction of
the National Parks Serivce, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and the Forest Service. In some areas, fires
in designated campfire areas are still permitted.
About 30 percent of the Colorado is owned by the federal
government.
Colorado is in the midst of one if its worst droughts on record.
Three fires still burning in the state have charred 27,529 acres
and 101,499 have burned this year.
A fire near Canon City, Colo., destroyed more than 80 homes this
week.
Owens welcomed the federal ban, spokeswoman Amy Jewett Sampson
said. "The governor has been saying the conditions in Colorado are
already very, very dry, and it's very hot and we're seeing
conditions that are normal for August," she said
Owens on Tuesday asked Norton and Agriculture Secretary Ann
Veneman to impose a ban. The Agriculture Department oversees the
Forest Service.
"We know we're going to get lightning-caused fires and we can
deal with that," Forest Service regional spokesman Bill Rice said.
"We have to get the human-caused fires eliminated. ... In order to
do this we've all got to work together and help educate the
public."
---
On the Net:
Colorado fire information:
http://www.colorado.gov/fire-drought.html
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov
Interior Department: http://www.doi.gov
Forest Service: http://www.fs.fed.us
______________________________ _______________________
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Interior Department and Forest Service on
Wednesday banned open fires on federal lands across Colorado in an
effort to avoid more wildfires in the drought-stricken state.
Gov. Bill Owens banned fire on state lands on Tuesday. Most
Colorado counties and the cities of Denver and Colorado Springs
also have some level of fire ban in place.
"The severe drought conditions and the impact of wildfires on
Colorado make this restriction on the public use of fire and of
fireworks on federal lands appropriate and very necessary,"
Interior Secretary Gale Norton said in a statement.
The order bans open fires on all land under the jurisdiction of
the National Parks Serivce, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and the Forest Service. In some areas, fires
in designated campfire areas are still permitted.
About 30 percent of the Colorado is owned by the federal
government.
Colorado is in the midst of one if its worst droughts on record.
Three fires still burning in the state have charred 27,529 acres
and 101,499 have burned this year.
A fire near Canon City, Colo., destroyed more than 80 homes this
week.
Owens welcomed the federal ban, spokeswoman Amy Jewett Sampson
said. "The governor has been saying the conditions in Colorado are
already very, very dry, and it's very hot and we're seeing
conditions that are normal for August," she said
Owens on Tuesday asked Norton and Agriculture Secretary Ann
Veneman to impose a ban. The Agriculture Department oversees the
Forest Service.
"We know we're going to get lightning-caused fires and we can
deal with that," Forest Service regional spokesman Bill Rice said.
"We have to get the human-caused fires eliminated. ... In order to
do this we've all got to work together and help educate the
public."
---
On the Net:
Colorado fire information:
http://www.colorado.gov/fire-drought.html
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov
Interior Department: http://www.doi.gov
Forest Service: http://www.fs.fed.us