Facing the increasing possibility of a wildfire, Los Padres National Forest officials announced effective Aug. 5 that they’re enforcing additional fire restrictions. According to a press release, the restrictions will stay in effect until the end of fire season, when the forest receives at least two inches of rainfall.
Recreational target shooting is prohibited throughout the forest, except at the Winchester Gun Club in Santa Barbara County and the Ojai Valley Gun Club in Ventura County. Hunting with a valid California hunting license is also exempt.
In an interview with the Sun, Los Padres National Forest spokesman Joe Pasinato said restrictions are placed on target shooting and not on legal hunting because target shooting is more likely to cause a fire.
“We have had fires in the past, not intentionally, where people are out enjoying their national forest target shooting, and the round will hit rock and ignite fire,” Pasinato explained.
Hunters, he said, are usually firing at animals, and the round is less likely to spark vegetation fires.
Other restrictions include:
• Smoking is prohibited in all areas of the forest except in an enclosed vehicle, building, or campfire site.
• Open fires, campfires, or charcoal fires are allowed only in campfire sites. Campfires must be attended at all times and completely extinguished before departure.
• Portable stoves and lanterns using gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed in areas other than campfire sites, but only with a valid California campfire permit. Permits are available free-of-charge at any Forest Service office. Additional restrictions apply.
• Internal combustion engines may be operated only on designated roads or trails on a year-round basis.
Pasinato added that these restrictions could increase as the fire season progresses, depending on weather and other conditions.
“We need to do this for the safety of the forest and the safety of the forest visitors as well,
of course,” he said.
For more information, including a
complete list of campfire sites, visit the Los Padres National Forest website at fs.fed.us/r5/lospadres.
This article appears in Aug 6-13, 2009.
