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Holiday brings forth full campsites By Paul Fattig Campsites are filling up and fire danger is heating up as many Southern Oregonians prepare for a long 4th of July weekend. If you haven�t made reservations or sent someone out to hold a campsite, it may be too late to find a space at your favorite campsite this weekend, officials warn. The Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department, which has nearly 600 campsites in its five campgrounds, expects those to be full, a spokeswoman said. The sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. For further information, call the department at 776-7001. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department reports that nearly all its campsites throughout Southern Oregon are already full. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-452-5687. A variety of campgrounds can be found in the Rogue River and Siskiyou national forests. Some are available on a first-come, first-served basis, others must be reserved in advance. Information is available at www.fs.fed.us/r6/siskiyou/rec or www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue/rec Citing the recent heat wave, the Oregon Department of Forestry increased the fire danger from moderate to high today in Jackson and Josephine counties. Campers need to be conscious of the increased fire danger, warned Dennis Turco, district fire prevention specialist for the ODF. "It�s important that people remember that campfires are now prohibited except in designated locations such as county and state parks," Turco said. The increased fire danger means there is also now a ban on smoking in wildlands outside enclosed vehicles and restricted use of chainsaws, heavy machinery, welding equipment and mowing of dry grass. Driving off improved roads is also banned. The department�s firefighters protect private, state, county and Bureau of Land Management lands. The Siskiyou National Forest has prohibited the use of campfires on the wild section of the Rogue River downstream from Galice. Smoking is permitted only in boats on the river or on sandy beaches and gravel bars. Boaters are required to carry a shovel and bucket to fight fires. Computer models are indicating the fire season is heating up like the deadly 1994 season, Turco said, referring to fires which killed 14 firefighters in Colorado and one in Jackson County. "This time of year, the fire danger isn�t really very evident," he said. "But once we get into fire danger, things can take off very quickly." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA