Photo by: BJ Hansen
Sonora, CA — Citing high fire risk, all public access recreation spots, and campgrounds, are closing in the Stanislaus National Forest.
It will take effect at 5pm today (Monday) and it is unclear how long the temporary closure will last. It is tentatively set to last through September 14. In addition to the Stanislaus National Forest, the US Forest Service is closing all recreation areas in many other California National Forests, such as Sierra, Sequoia, Inyo, Los Padres and Angeles.
Randy Moore, Regional Forester for the USDA Pacific Southwest Region, says, “The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously. Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire.”
Moore cites the Creek Fire near Shaver Lake as an example of how a fire can expand quickly.
He adds, “We are bringing every resource to bear nationally and internationally to fight these fires, but until conditions improve, and we are confident that National Forest visitors can recreate safely, the priority is always to protect the public and our firefighters. With these extreme conditions, these temporary actions will help us do both.”
All of the parking areas will be blocked off, and everyone will need to leave forest recreation spots, by 5pm.