Southern Portion of Egin-Hamer Closure Set to Open on April 1

Though it has been a mild winter, natural resource managers at the Bureau of Land Management and Idaho Fish and Game 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. The portion of the Egin-Hamer Closure Area south of the Egin-Hamer Road will open on schedule at sunrise April 1. The area north of the road surrounding the dunes remains closed until sunrise May 1. Maps of the closure are available at the regional Fish and Game and BLM offices in Idaho Falls. The closure is patrolled not only by law enforcement officers from BLM and Fish and Game, but also the Fremont County Sheriff's Department. Fish and Game employees are allowed as part of their administrative duties to enter the closure to carry out enforcement activities and retrieve radio collars from deceased study animals. 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 the April and May openings. The goal of the agencies will 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.