PEAK PUTTERS

U.S. FOREST SERVICE NEWS RELEASE
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
215 Melody Lane
Wenatchee, WA 98801
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/ and http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/oka/


For immediate release: Monday, July 20, 2009
Contacts: Doug Jenkins, Naches Ranger District Public Information Specialist 509-653-1468


Naches Ranger District Campfire and Woodcutting Restrictions Go Into Effect

Naches — Increased fire hazard caused by continuing hot and dry weather conditions have prompted the Forest Service to implement campfire restrictions outside legislated Wilderness areas and restrict woodcutters to shutdown by 1:00 p.m.

Campfire bans and woodcutting restrictions will go into effect on Wednesday morning at 1201 a.m., July 22nd in the Naches Ranger District.

“An unusually cool spring lingered a little longer than usual this year, but summer has now arrived,â€

Campfires OK again in Naches District
August 13, 2009 by Scott Sandsberry

YAKIMA, Wash. — A stretch of cooler, wetter weather and the containment of the 4,178-acre Discovery Fire south of Rimrock Lake have prompted Naches Ranger District officials to lift the campfire ban throughout the district as of one minute after midnight Friday morning.

That’s a timely bit of good news for recreationists, since some campgrounds previously inaccessible because of the fire will be open as well.

Also being lifted is the restriction on chainsaw use, with the Industrial Fire Precaution Level dropping back down to level one.

With the Discovery Fire now contained, some (but not all) areas south and west of Rimrock will be reopened as well. Basically, this weekend you will be able to safely drive southwest on Forest Road 1000 toward Conrad Meadows, a road and area previously closed — but everything to your left (south and east) on the way will remain closed.

The campgrounds along the 1000, the South Fork Bay and South Fork Group Reservation Site off the Fish Creek 1203 Road, and the access to Conrad Meadows will be open by this weekend. In each case, though, they are nestled right up against the closed area. The Peninsula campground on the south side of Rimrock Lake, which has been closed since the Discovery Fire broke out, is slated to reopen by noon Friday.

The success of the Discovery firefighting effort also means that fire-related traffic on the 1000 road “will be greatly diminished from what it was at the height of suppression efforts,â€