News Release

For Release: October 13, 2006
Contact: George Hill (831) 630-5036 or Mike Chiodini (831) 630- 5029
CA-CC-07-03

BLM to Open Panoche and Tumey Hills Gates
Fire Restrictions Remain in Effect

The Hollister Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management will open the gates in the Panoche and Tumey Hills to provide vehicular access on Thursday. These areas will be open for upland bird game hunting which begins October 21.

Precautionary fire restrictions on public lands will remain in effect until cooler and wetter weather conditions occur. Campfires or open flames will be allowed in the Panoche, Griswold, Tumey, and Ciervo Hills.

BLM Fire Management Officer Mario Marquez says the restrictions will remain in effect due to the extreme fuel loading and fire danger. All campfires and barbeques, even within campsites, are prohibited. Portable stoves with gas, jellied petroleum or pressured liquid fuel are authorized with a valid California campfire permit. Smoking is allowed only in enclosed vehicles or while stopped or standing in an area cleared or barren of flammable material for at least three feet in diameter. Vehicle travel is restricted to established roads and trails that have no vegetation that may come in contact with the under carriage or exhaust system of the vehicle. The public is asked to be extremely careful while hiking, birding or hunting in these areas.

For more information on the fire restrictions, contact Marquez at the BLM Hollister Field Office, (831) 630-5038.

-BLM-

Hollister Field Office, 20 Hamilton Court, Hollister, CA 95023