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Fire restrictions have been lifted for Grand Teton National Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest, and other lands in the Jackson Hole area.
Last week, we reported stage 1 fire restrictions would be set for Grand Teton, Bridger-Teton, the National Elk Refuge and the Bureau of Land Management’s High Desert District in anticipation of increased visitor traffic for the 2017 solar eclipse.
There is no word whether the restrictions have been lifted in the High Desert District as a whole.
According to Jackson Fire/EMS Interim Fire Chief Mike Moyer, speaking to the Jackson Hole News & Guide, now that the eclipse has passed, he and other officials feel comfortable lowering the restrictions. However, the Guide reports, fire danger is still high in the region:
“There is still plenty of potential for wildland fire,” Fire Marshal Kathy Clay said in a press release. “Frost has hit much of the valley’s vegetation and grasses are curing quickly.
“It still means that people need to continue to be careful and very cautious with any open fire,” Moyer said.
Fire managers in the area will continue to monitor weather and fuel moisture and assess whether restrictions are warranted further into the fire season, according to an interagency press release.
Agencies are reminding residents and visitors that Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest allow campfires only in established fire pit and grate areas. Fireworks are prohibited in all of Teton County and Jackson.
Compared with last summer, which saw a number of fires in both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks—one of which closed the South Entrance multiple times—2017 has been relatively incident-free. Yellowstone fire experts predicted an average fire season for 2017.
The fire danger in Yellowstone National Park is still rated high.
The most noteworthy fire incident of late around Yellowstone has been the June Fire, which sparked in mid-July 13 miles east of the East Entrance in Shoshone National Forest. After a prominent flare-up, which placed the fire’s perimeter one-and-a-half miles from U.S. Highway 14/16/20, the fire has quieted down considerably, following precipitation and efforts by fire crews to secure the perimeter.
June Fire’s Inciweb page was last updated August 11, 2017 at 10:27 a.m.
