Visitors to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area are reminded to leave fireworks at home when heading out to federal public lands.  Fireworks and other explosive devices are illegal on public lands, and violators can have fireworks confiscated or receive citations.  Even small, seemingly innocent, fireworks such as sparklers can start wildfires.  Most wildfires in the Gorge are human-caused, so visitors can help reduce risks by disposing of cigarette debris in some type of an ashtray, attending to campfires at all times with water and a shovel nearby and putting out the campfire to the point it is cool to the touch, and avoiding driving and parking in tall grass or on roads with heavy fine fuels accumulations.  Bring life jackets if you are boating on a river, and if you are hiking respect signs, barriers, and closures and take precautions near steep drop-offs.