Southern Portion of Egin-Hamer Closure Area to Open April 1

Even though the winter appeared mild down on desert near St. Anthony, it is still lingering up in the highlands and natural resource managers at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG) are working to ensure that wintering big games herds remain protected as long as possible and urge outdoor recreationalists to honor existing closure dates as they relate to the Egin-Hamer closure and St. Anthony Sand Dunes. That portion of the Egin-Hamer Closure Area that is south of the Egin-Hamer Road will open on schedule at sunrise on April 1st. The area north of the road surrounding the dunes remains closed until sunrise on May 1st. Maps of the closure are available at the regional IDFG and BLM Offices in Idaho Falls. The closure is patrolled not only by law enforcement officers from BLM and IDFG, but also the Fremont County Sheriff_s Department. Department staff are allowed as part of their administrative duties to enter the closure to carry out enforcement activities. Survey crews under the direction of the BLM may also be observed entering the closure. Both agencies are gearing up to have personnel on the ground for both the April and May openings. The goal of the agency staff will mainly be to educate the public about the closure, but enforcement officers will be available to write citations for flagrant violators who harass animals or destroy habitat.