Remaining Egin-Hamer Closure Opens At Sunrise May 1

Though the winter was relatively mild, the efforts of county, state and federal agencies to protect wintering big game herds outside St. Anthony have paid off once again. As of sunrise on May 1, the northern part of the closure will open, but public land managers want to remind users that certain rules still remain in effect on BLM lands. The portion of the closure area south of the Egin-Hamer Road opened at sunrise April 1. Sixteen years ago, the arrangement for the closure was agreed upon when county commissioners approached the BLM with the idea of the area closure in return for the re-opening of the Egin-Hamer Road for winter travel. Individual landowners going to their private lands have always been exempt from the closure. Last weekend, BLM enforcement officers issued more than a dozen citations to groups of individuals who had violated the closure. To ensure that recreational users understand what they need to keep in mind, a special flier was created and is available online from the BLM and Idaho Fish and Game. Of key concern to agency staff is that users remain on designated routes to protect the habitat and that everything possible is done to reduce the spread of noxious weeds.