No Smoking in the Interior
It is important to stress that due to serious fire danger in Catalina's interior,
and the potentially long response times by fire fighters to a remote scene, there
is no smoking or open fires in the interior except at designated campgrounds
per Los Angeles County Fire Department ordinances. This applies to all Conservancy
employees, island residents and visitors.
The designated areas in the interior where smoking is permitted include Two
Harbors, established campgrounds (with the exception of boat-in sites), leased
coves, Haypress, Middle Ranch and Catalina's Airport-in-the-Sky. These are depicted
in the map below:
In just over one year Catalina has experienced four wildland fires due to
careless use of cigarettes and matches or illegal campfires. Fortunately each
fire was reported and responded to quickly. Had one of these fires gotten out
of hand, it could have been an ecological disaster.
We ask that all people hiking, driving, riding bikes or riding horses in the
interior help us keep the chance of fire to a minimum. In addition to not smoking
yourself, if you see someone doing so, politely tell them of the danger, ask
that they extinguish their cigarette, cigar, pipe, etc., and let them know where
acceptable smoking areas are.
The Conservancy will be working with Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel
to draft a Fire Management Plan to address the concerns of wildland fires on
the island and the potential impact of fire on our natural ecosystems and human
dwellings.
Thank you for your assistance. |
