Field reports: DNR issues campfire ban on Washington state property
Following similar camp fire bans on federal property, including around Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, the Washington Department of Natural Resources announced this week that campfires will be banned on state property it manages, as well.
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area earlier had announced announced that campfires would be banned beginning Friday. The same rule applied Friday for lands managed by the DNR.
According to a news release, fire conditions have reached extreme levels in the lower Columbia Basin and are very high across much of the rest of the 17-county region.
The restriction on campfires includes popular recreation destinations in the Teanaway Community Forest near Cle Elum and the Ahtanum State Forest west of Yakima.
State managers said in the release that the restriction is critical step to reduce potential wildfire ignition sources as fire dangers continue to stay elevated.
Fuels across Eastern Washington are drying out quickly. An uptick of fires in forested areas east of the Cascades indicates that the state is entering the heart of fire season in the Pacific Northwest, according to the release.
Similarly, Marshals from the Spokane, Spokane Valley, Spokane County, Cheney, Airway Heights and Deer Park fire departments all enacted a “Fire Danger Burn Restriction” within their jurisdictions at the beginning of July.
For people recreating throughout the region on DNR-managed lands, propane or butane camp stoves and backpacking stoves are still allowed.
Bear of a re-opening
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest officials announced Thursday that Pittsburg Landing Campground re-opened on Friday after they closed it on June 28 following conflicts between visitors and an adult bear that had become accustomed to human food.
“Our crews have been closely monitoring this situation,” said Sweyn Wall, recreation manager for the Hells Canyon Recreation Area. “It’s been several weeks since the bear was last seen near people. It has been observed eating natural food sources, which is a good sign.”
Bears, mountain lions, and other wildlife who begin to associate people with easy food sources can potentially become dangerous. Any animals that become reliant on human food sources often cannot be scared away or successfully relocated.
In an effort to balance visitor and wildlife safety, officials are requiring proper food storage in the Pittsburg Landing area. Visitors to the area will need to store and utilize food items and other attractants in a “bear-resistant manner.”
“Proper storage of food, trash, and other attractants is an important component of our decision to re-open Pittsburg Landing Campground,” said Jamey Basye, the deputy district ranger. “Minimizing readily accessible food sources for wildlife will help reduce some of the safety concerns that led to the campground closure in June.”
Baker Lake sockeye
The Washington Department of Fish and Game has increased the daily limit to five sockeye salmon in Whatcom County’s Baker Lake effective until August 31.
State and tribal fish managers raised the daily limit after an they updated the expected run to 52,000 sockeye, which is one of the best in the last decade, according to a news release.