The grass is crisp underfoot, the sun bakes down on those who dare venture out of doors and even the wildlife seems lethargic. Ahh, campfire ban season.
The campfire ban in the Cariboo Fire Centre came as no surprise on Tuesday. As fire centres across the province began to issue the annual ban, residents of our region watched with weary anticipation to see just how long we’d leave it before we inevitably followed suit.
So it’s finally here. Goodbye to the smell of sizzling hot dogs, the annoyance of smoke following you around the fire as you move your chair, and the taste of a marshmallow perfectly roasted on all sides (and sandwiched between a square of chocolate and a couple of graham crackers for the ultimate campfire treat).
The ban, as we know, is completely necessary, but let’s not pretend it’s not at least a little bit of a buzzkill. It’s the height of summer, the long weekend approaches, and we’re all going to be sitting around a clutch of lanterns on our next camping trips. It’s not quite the atmosphere one hopes for when travelling into the nearby wilderness to get away from it all.
Still, we can make camping seem like camping in other ways. These days, camping is but a ghost of its former self anyway, with so many people towing enormous trailers into sites with all the mod-cons, generators buzzing and radios (or even TVs) blaring. Almost gone are the days of the lone camper with a makeshift tent and a book of matches.
And the ban is of course worth adhering to, not least to avoid a hefty fine, let alone the prospect of jail time. Last year’s unprecedented wildfires were caused in part by human-started fires, whether intentional or not. Even with the tiniest campfire, it just takes one spark travelling onto a bone-dry branch to set an entire forest ablaze.
We are forest-dependent communities, and we need to respect and protect this environment in order for it to continue to sustain our cities. No matter what your stance on logging, there’s no question it makes up a huge chunk of industry in the north.
So no, we won’t be sitting around the campfire this B.C. Day, listening to tall tales and someone strumming on a guitar with the smoke in our faces. Our marshmallows may be grilled on the barbecue, and our hot dogs too, but that cluster of electric lanterns and a mosquito coil or two will have to sustain our campfire cravings until at least fall.
Quesnel Cariboo Observer
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