Fire restrictions lifted in the county

Monsoon season prevailed

[ By Katherine Nettles ]

Colorado monsoon season has once again improved the outlook of our forests this year, and persistent rains have alleviated much of the concern over forest fire potential across the Gunnison Valley. Fire restrictions are lifting and the return of campfires is now welcomed throughout most of Gunnison County with one last holdout to the north that is set to have its restrictions lifted on Friday.

Following a Gunnison Basin Wildfire Council meeting last week, the Gunnison County sheriff’s department removed Stage 1 fire restrictions Friday, July 23 for most of Gunnison County. Stage 1 restrictions are now only in the portion of Gunnison County that lies within the White River National Forest (Marble and Upper Crystal River Valley area), and those will also be lifted on Friday, July 30. At that point the entire county will be free of fire restrictions.

The rainy days this summer added up, according to officials, and that has made a difference in lowering forest fuel dangers throughout Gunnison County. In a statement issued July 22, the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests said “recent rains over much of the forest have increased fuel moisture and lessened, but not eliminated, the threat of wildland fire danger, allowing restrictions to be lifted. This means campfires will be allowed outside of established campgrounds and recreation sites.”
Gunnison County undersheriff Adam Murdie said the community has been “tickled” so far, but that local ranchers are a little frustrated because the moisture has kept them from cutting hay.

Deputy forest supervisor Tony Edwards expressed appreciation of the public’s cooperation and understanding during the Stage I restrictions that had been in place since June 24. “I would like to remind everyone that each of us has an important part in preventing wildfires. Please use good judgment while recreating and remember we all have a reason to care for our public lands,” he added.
Although fire restrictions are lifting, fire managers are reminding everyone to continue to be attentive of their actions and surroundings, especially in areas with dry vegetation or dead/down trees.

“Practice smart wildfire prevention behavior including never leaving a campfire unattended, using established campfire rings, picking safe and proper campfire sites and ensuring that their fires are completely out and cool to the touch by using the drown, stir and feel methods,” advised the Forest Service.

This year fire restrictions were enacted a couple weeks earlier than last year (June 24 in 2021 versus July 9 in 2020), but certainly the continuation of southwestern monsoon patterns, also credited with removing restrictions last summer, has been welcome. According to the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, about half the counties in Colorado remain under fire restrictions. The majority of those counties are on the western half of the state, with the exception of Elbert County, to the east of Colorado Springs.

Meanwhile, dozens of wildfires continue to burn across western Colorado. More fire-related information on Colorado’s Western Slope can be found at www.WestSlopeFireInfo.com.