Fire restrictions are being implemented throughout the local area as residents hope for monsoon rains to arrive soon. On Tuesday, the Montezuma County commissioners reinstated a fire ban across all unincorporated areas of the county, starting Wednesday at 6 a.m. All open fires and the use of fireworks are prohibited, with a few exceptions that can be seen on the county’s website. To encourage people to get rid of brush piles, landfill fees will be waived for Montezuma County residents who are bringing in “green waste”. Much of the Four Corners is considered to be in moderate drought at present. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says above-normal monsoonal precipitation is likely for the southwestern United States in July but probably will not be enough to eliminate drought conditions. Fire restrictions have also been implemented in the town of Dolores, on the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute reservations, at Mesa Verde National Park and Yucca House National Monument, and on the San Juan National Forest at lower elevations. Fire restrictions are also in place at southeastern Utah parks including Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments and Canyonlands and Arches national parks. The City of Durango has canceled its Fourth of July fireworks show because of fire concerns, but Cortez is planning to go ahead with its show.
Gail Binkly is a career journalist who has worked for the Colorado Springs Gazette and Cortez Journal, and was the editor of the Four Corners Free Press, based in Cortez.