From the recent enactment of Juneteenth as a federal holiday to the upcoming Fourth of July weekend, Americans have long visited their local national forest to celebrate significant U.S. milestones.

Holiday weekends can be an active time for fire starts, and it goes without saying that fireworks are prohibited on public lands – every forest, every campsite, every day.

“This is typically one of the busiest weekends on the Inyo National Forest and we want to remind visitors that they play an active role in preventing wildfires,” said Forest Supervisor Lesley Yen. “Given the drought conditions across the area, we want to ensure visitors are mindful of local fire restrictions so everyone can have a safe holiday weekend.”

Fire Restrictions remain in effect for the Inyo National Forest and Bishop Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Campfires are allowed only in developed campgrounds and recreation sites. A portable stove or lantern using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel may be used with a valid wilderness or California Campfire Permit in dispersed areas. No fireworks are ever allowed on the forest. Smoking is only allowed within an enclosed vehicle, building, a developed recreation site, or in an area at least three feet in diameter cleared of flammable material.

Please plan ahead by checking on forest conditions by visiting the forest’s website, social media accounts, or stopping by local offices. The forest website recreation page www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/inyo/recreation, Facebook page www.facebook.com/inyonf and Twitter page https://twitter.com/Inyo_NF have current forest information.

The Inyo National Forest reminds all visitors to recreate responsibly, including properly dispose of trash, use good social distancing in crowded areas and store food and other scented items properly to protect bears and other wildlife www.fs.usda.gov/goto/Inyo/Bears. If you are looking for a campsite, please visit the Eastern Sierra Sustainable Recreation Partnership Website at www.essrp.org/camping. Additionally, excellent tools and resources are available on the Recreate Responsibly website, which can be found at www.recreateresponsibly.org.

The forest service appreciates your cooperation in keeping our national forests safe and healthy for everyone’s use.