The City of Kamloops will be reopening all nature parks and nature trails this Friday, August 11, following a week-long closure due to fire and drought conditions.
While the recent rain and cooler weather has caused the fire danger rating to drop, Fire Chief Ken Uzeloc is still urging users to be careful and report any fires they see immediately.
Should conditions worsen given the warmer weather that expected over the coming weeks, Uzeloc says he may order the closure of parks and trails once again.
“The fire risk is not gone, however, we understand how important outdoor recreation and active transportation are to our residents,” Uzeloc said.
“Although we will need to re-evaluate the risks as the temperatures rise again next week, we felt it was important to open these spaces to our residents throughout the weekend as we experience some reprieve.”
Parks crews will be removing signs and unlocking gates nature parks and trails including the Dallas-Barnhartvale Nature Park, Kenna Cartwright Park, Peterson Creek Nature Park, Rose Hill Park, Skyline Park, and Valleyview Nature Park throughout the day Friday.
The Barnhartvale Landfill and Yard Waste Depot – which was also part of last Friday’s closure order – will reopen at 8:30 am this Friday.
“Residents are reminded that smoking is always prohibited in all City parks and walking trails,” Uzeloc added.
“Given the extremely dry conditions, we are urging residents to be extremely cautious with smoking materials in all areas of the city and to only use designated containers to dispose of cigarettes, matches, and other smoking-related materials.”
You can find more information on fire prevention here.