Campfire and angling bans lifted in parts of B.C.

Angling is once again allowed in most streams andrivers on British Columbia's South Coast. Meanwhile, a ban on open fires has been liftedin two more B.C.regions.

Streams and rivers across the south coast were closed to angling onJuly 22 because the province feared higher water temperatures and low flows could threaten fish health.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operationssays it can now rescind the closure in most streams because ofrecent rainfall and lower temperatures.

But angling still remains prohibited in the Seymour andCoquihalla rivers and their tributaries.

The ministry says rock slides into those waterways havethreatened the upstream migration of steelhead.

The angling prohibition was lifted two weeks earlier than theprovince anticipated.

Campfireban lifted

The ban on open fires, burn barrels, fireworks andtiki torches has been lifted in two more British Columbia regions
due to the decreased risk of forest fires.

The BC Wildfire Service says its ban in the Coastal Fire Centreended at noon Monday.

It says the ban will partially end in the Kamloops Centre at noonTuesday, allowing open burning in the Clearwater zone and in the Salmon Arm zone in areas above 1,200 metres.

The ban will remain in all other areas of the Salmon Arm zoneuntil Oct. 1, and in Kamloops, Vernon, Penticton, Merritt andLillooet until Oct. 15.

The wildfire service says its decisions only apply to provincialparks, Crown and private lands but not municipalities, which havetheir own bylaws.

It says people who plan to do any open burning should check withtheir local governments to ensure there are no restrictions.