We are in peak fire season again. Smoke has been in the air, from Canada, Washington, Montana, California and the Front Range. Our afternoon temperatures have been record highs and many are escaping the 90–100 degree temperatures in the Front Range. Wildfire danger is officially high. Most of us experienced the Peak 2 and Tenderfoot fires in 2017, the Buffalo Fire in 2018, the Ptarmigan Fire in 2021 and more. We have had incredibly talented and fast responses to fires allowing us to experience little serious damage and even quick vegetative recovery.

Bigger fires in Colorado have left thousands of acres of forest land still unrecovered due to the extreme heat destroying the soil’s ability to support returning vegetation. I hope our luck continues, but we have seen some of the worst fire damage in the history of Colorado in recent years. It all depends on you. Most fires are caused by people; very few by lightning. It is shocking that people are still throwing out cigarettes. There is no excuse for that behavior.

We have made some significant improvements with defensible space around homes. The Chipping Program has promoted more action around homes and removed thousands of cubic yards of fire fuels from neighborhoods. We have been fortunate with quick responses to neighborhood fires. Larger ones tend to be started in the backcountry in national forests and can move quickly, especially with wind accelerating fire intensity.

I really don’t enjoy fire and smoke, unlike most people. I worked as a firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service right out of college and learned to hate the smell of smoke continually on my body and clothes. So, I have pushed the idea of no campfire alternatives without luck for many years.

Most of us living here know that any campfire must be put dead out, cold to the touch, but some still growing up tend to take chances and might not really understand. Many folks from wetter places did not learn that even an ember can start a major wildfire.

The best place to have a campfire is in established fire pits in campgrounds — not in the backcountry. If a fire ban comes into place, fires are not allowed anywhere. The tradition of sharing a campfire while camping is hard for many to reconsider. There really are many other options for sweet memories.  Perhaps you want to celebrate the sunset colors, sing songs under the stars, sit quietly and listen for wildlife, enjoy a fun drink and skip the marshmallows. There are many alternatives, but it can be a difficult mindset change for some.

Campfires are very damaging to our high elevation environment. They are not allowed above timberline, due to the fragility of the environment, and not allowed within a quarter-mile of any lake or stream. Our Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance trail volunteers have removed hundreds of illegally placed fire rings every summer to help the alpine habitat recover. 

Just because you see a fire ring near a lakeshore does not mean it is allowed by regulation. Regulations are in place to protect our high-elevation paradise in the mountains to keep it that way for plants and animals that survive up there, and for future generations. Fires near water are damaging to water quality for the many species that depend on clean mountain water. The Alpine tundra is a precious special place with amazing plants like the beautiful Alpine forget-me-not and moss campion that can take decades to get established in the brief summer growing seasons. A fire would damage decades of Alpine growth.

This year, 2024, is a time to celebrate the 60-year anniversary of the Wilderness Act. The Wilderness Act of 1964 provided the opportunity to establish wilderness areas to be untrammeled by humans and protected for future generations. 2024 is a year to celebrate by doing what you can to save these very special and fragile Colorado places.

“Get Wild” publishes on Fridays in the Summit Daily News. Karn Stiegelmeier is the immediate past Chair of Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance, an all-volunteer nonprofit that helps the U.S. Forest Service protect and preserve the wilderness areas in Eagle and Summit counties. For more information, visit EagleSummitWilderness.org.