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BLM closes lands near South Fork to protect wildlife
Posted on: December 04, 2007
Closure will protect wintering mule deer
IDAHO FALLS – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Upper Snake Field Office is implementing a closure to human entry in the area of Stinking Springs and Wolf Flat, starting December 1, 2007 through April 15, 2008. Fragile mule deer populations rely on these favored areas near the South Fork of the Snake River to make it through the winter.
The closure is being implemented at the request of, and in partnership with, the Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG) Region 6 office in Idaho Falls, which monitors wintering wildlife progress.
The proposed emergency closure area is on the BLM public lands near Stinking Springs and Wolf Flat, on the north side of the Heise River Road upstream of Kelly Island Campground. A “no human entry” closure would prohibit any activities, including hunting, horseback riding, hiking, cross-country skiing and other similar activities. The area is already closed to Off-Highway Vehicle use in the wintertime.
“IDFG’s number one priority in the state right now is the Mule Deer Initiative. We are interested in pursuing any opportunity to find solutions that benefit Eastern Idaho’s mule deer populations,” said IDFG Regional Supervisor Steve Schmidt. “We appreciate the public’s help in staying away from the closure area to help protect these animals.”
Public lands between the river road and the South Fork of the Snake River will remain open to anglers for fishing.
“We have been talking with IDFG about this closure,” said BLM Upper Snake Field Manager Wendy Reynolds. “We will be working together on a more long-term solution with input from the public.”For further information, please contact Monica Zimmerman, BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner at 208-524-7543 or Theresa Mathis, BLM Wildlife Biologist at 208-524-7547.
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About Dave Langston
Outdoor writer Dave Langston resides in Chubbuck. He grew up in the Midwest and south fishing and hunting across the country.
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