Recently, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced its intent to clarify that a recreational shooting ban on 1,200 acres at North Menan Butte in eastern Idaho had not been intended to close hunting with a firearm in the designated area.
In August 2010, BLM published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Supplementary Rules for the Upper Snake Field Office, which codified the Snake River Activity and Operations Plan Environmental Assessment. According to the BLM, the plan “provided general management for 15,000 acres of BLM-managed lands and 5,000 acres of National Forest lands.” The BLM further stated that the proposed rules “protect[ed] visitor health and safety while decreasing accidents by prohibiting shooting in developed recreation facilities,” and more specifically “The discharge of weapons of any kind is prohibited year-round on BLM lands at North Menan Butte – a total of 1,210 acres.”
According to BLM, while the final adopted rule was not meant to ban hunting within the designated area, it had in fact unintentionally done so. To that end, the BLM’s Upper Snake Field Office is preparing a new Notice of Proposed Supplementary Rules which will allow hunting within all 1,210 acres covered in the closure. Those wishing to comment on the pending rule proposal to revoke the hunting closure on North Menan Butte can submit comments through November 28, 2016, to the following address:
US Bureau of Land Management
Attention: Monica Zimmerman
1405 Hollipark Drive
Idaho Falls, ID 83401
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
