As the Sacramento County
Department of Regional Parks maintenance crews wrap up their fire fuel reduction efforts and the goats and sheep finish their grazing, the Ranger Division has increased education and enforcement related to illegal fires and cooking along the parkway in an effort to curb the number of new fires in an already record breaking fire season.
This increased education and enforcement is playing a key role in the Department’s overall fire reduction strategy. The 2021 Fire Fuel Reduction Action Plan included cattle, sheep and goat grazing contracts; maintenance crews to maintain fire breaks; and issuing fuel break maintenance permits to properties bordering Park properties.
“We have really stepped up our efforts to get illegal incendiary devices out of our parks,” said Regional Parks Chief Ranger, Leonard Orman. “When our rangers encounter individuals who are using BBQs or other cooking devices in unauthorized areas, we issue the owners a recovery slip, confiscate the devices, and move them to a secure storage facility where the owner can recover them later if they choose to.”
Visitors to Sacramento County Regional Parks should be aware of the following regulations:
- Open flame fires are not allowed and barbequing is only permitted in designated picnic areas.
- Smoking is only allowed in developed picnic areas, asphalt surfaces, golf courses and levee tops in the American River Parkway.
