On Monday, Coconino National Forest announced a full forest closure effective at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, June 23, and the agency is preparing the public for a potentially long closure — the exact length dependent on how much moisture the region receives this summer — meaning the closure could easily last many weeks.
“Though parts of the national forest may receive rain from sporadic storms over the next couple of weeks, this closure will not be rescinded until sufficient precipitation is received to adequately reduce the risk of wildfire, and hot, dry weather conditions are no longer forecast to continue,” the USFS’ Monday release stated.
The USFS advised the public to “cancel any plans for visiting the Coconino National Forest for the next several weeks.”
The closure applies to all recreation activities on all of Coconino National Forest — all trails, roads, recreation and camping areas — and also applies to other commercial and non-commercial activities.
“Partner agencies, organizations, concessionaires, outfitters, permit holders and contractors are all prohibited from entering the national forest,” the release stated.
On Monday, June 21, USFS personnel began evacuating campers from the dispersed campsites along Bill Gray Road and Forest Road 525 and closing those roads where they enter the national forest.
Asked by someone leaving the forest when it will reopen again, Mike O’Neil, a law enforcement officer with the Red Rock Ranger District, said, “When it rains.”
O’Neil joked with another forest visitor with a Colorado license plate that he was sending everybody to their state right now.
On Monday, O’Neil and other forest personnel also closed the popular Devil’s Bridge trailhead parking lot off of Dry Creek Road.
USFS cited the high fire danger in the region and “persistent wildfire activity during a time when firefighting resources are sparse,” as the reason for the forest-wide closure.
Local agencies and governments are ramping up efforts to prevent fires. On Tuesday, June 22, Coconino County announced Stage III fire restrictions.
Violating closures and fire restrictions is a violation that carries a mandatory appearance in federal court, punishable as a Class B misdemeanor with a fine of up to $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or up to six months in prison, or both.
O’Neil urged the public to comply with the forest closure to help the agency.
If everyone does their part and doesn’t try to skirt the rules, he said, personnel can focus their efforts on the fires.
