All Fires Prohibited on Upper Snake Fish and Game Lands

Unrelenting hot, dry weather has forced Idaho Department of Fish and Game habitat managers in the Upper Snake Region to prohibit all open fires at wildlife management areas and access sites. These restrictions will start on Friday, July 27, and continue until further notice. "Weather conditions have left vegetation very dry, creating extreme fire danger," regional habitat manager Terry Thomas said. "We don't want to take any chances that a fire could break out that could threaten human safety or put important wildlife habitat at risk." Unlike other resource management agencies, Fish and Game lacks a separate division devoted to fire control and must rely on help from other agencies. "The firefighting resources of the BLM and Forest Service are already stretched thin enough, we don't want to add to their troubles," Thomas said. "These restrictions help Fish and Game managed lands to match up with restrictions currently in place on lands managed by the federal agencies." For more information about fire prohibition on Fish and Game lands in the Upper Snake Region contact the regional office in Idaho Falls at 208-525-7290 or through the Idaho Relay Service at 1-800-377-3529(TDD).