BLM Mother Lode issues May 22 restrictions

The Bureau of Land Management’s Mother Lode Field Office put seasonal fire restrictions into effect on Friday, May 22, on BLM-managed public lands in parts of central California, citing dry conditions and elevated wildland fire danger. The order applies in Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Yuba counties, the agency said. BLM said the restrictions are in addition to California’s year-round statewide fire prevention order and will remain in effect until further notice. The field office announcement was dated May 20, and the agency’s California fire-information page lists the Mother Lode office among areas with current restrictions. ### Which places are covered by the Mother Lode order? The Mother Lode Field Office manages more than 230,000 acres of public land in central California, including recreation areas along the South Fork American River, South Yuba River and Mokelumne River, according to BLM’s field office page. The May 22 order covers BLM-managed lands within that field office’s footprint across the 10 named counties, not all land within those counties. (blm.gov) The BLM notice says the restrictions are aimed at public lands used for recreation, camping and dispersed use during the start of the higher-risk fire season. BLM said many human-caused fires start near roadways, communities and recreation areas. ### What activities are now prohibited? The BLM order bars “setting, building, maintaining, attending, or using a campfire or open flame of any kind,” including in established campgrounds in the Mother Lode field office, the agency said. (blm.gov) It also prohibits recreational target shooting, welding, acetylene torches and the use of motorized vehicles or tools powered by internal combustion engines off designated roads or trails. (blm.gov) Smoking is also restricted. The order allows smoking only inside an enclosed vehicle or building, or in a developed campground where a three-foot area has been cleared of brush and other flammable material, according to the BLM notice and fire order. ### Are any flame devices still allowed? Portable stoves and lanterns with shut-off valves are still allowed if they use gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel and the user has a valid California Campfire Permit, the fire order says. (blm.gov) The BLM announcement separately says a valid California Campfire Permit is required to operate a stove or fire where allowed on these lands. California’s statewide BLM fire rules already require people using campfires, charcoal, coal or wood stoves outside developed campgrounds to clear a five-foot area to bare soil, keep a round-point shovel nearby and carry a valid campfire permit. Those statewide restrictions remain in effect alongside the Mother Lode order. ### What about hunting and ammunition? Hunting is still allowed with a valid California hunting license and in accordance with state regulations, the BLM order says. (blm.gov) But the agency said steel-jacketed, steel-core and incendiary ammunition are prohibited, and the temporary target-shooting ban remains in place for recreational shooters. The fire order points recreational shooters to alternative locations through the WhereToShoot directory. (blm.gov) BLM’s statewide California fire page also says target-shooting restrictions in some field offices do not prevent licensed hunting on BLM lands. ### Why did BLM say it was tightening rules now? The May 20 announcement says the restrictions were imposed because of dry conditions and wildland fire danger. (blm.gov) BLM also said human-caused wildfires account for 95% of all wildfires in California on average, a figure it used to urge visitors to reduce ignition risks before a fire starts. The order remains in effect until rescinded by the Mother Lode Field Office manager, according to the signed fire prevention order. (blm.gov) Visitors can check the BLM California fire-restrictions page for updates and permit requirements as conditions change through the 2026 fire season. (blm.gov)