Wildfire Season Already Active

Every fisherman who hit Potholes over the weekend was talking about seeing smoke.

It seems there were two fires this weekend.

While we had a very nice spring, the cheatgrass and other roadside kindling are ready to ignite.

When it comes to fighting wildfires across the state, the "state's largest on-call fire department" is the Department of Natural Resources. They use their 1,300 permanent and temporary employees to fight fires on more than 13 million acres of private and state-owned forest lands each year.

Yakima area communities and local fire districts provide the infrastructure for the department to respond to wildfires. Keep that in mind when those things come up in budget discussions.

They were out at Cabela's Family Adventure day with Smokey The Bear also on location. Don't forget that as outdoor enthusiasts, we are the first line of defense.

Do us all a favor though and remember not to throw out lit cigarette butts, or anything else from your car. Trash and glass also lead to wildfires. Aside from the fines, which have increased recently, you could face jail time if you get caught as the person that started costly or deadly fires.

I recommend just buying a propane camping grill rather than cooking over fire if you're just going on a day trip. Before leaving camp, bury your fire pit with dirt once extinguished.

Whenever camping, don't forget to bring the shovel!