Power County Leaders Oppose Public Land Closure

The Bureau of Reclamation is set to shut down public access to thousands of acres in Power County, but many in the community say it should stay open.

Power County Commissioner Delane Anderson said people in the area aren’t happy about the plan to close off a huge swath of popular public land.

“I haven’t gone 10 minutes without being on the phone with someone concerned about that. So it’s a huge impact,? Anderson said.

Much of the land on the north side of the Snake River downstream of American Falls Dam will be temporarily closed to the public starting March 31.

When the bureau first announced the closure, it said the purpose was to study and to protect cultural resources in the area that had begun to be damaged.

“Because of the high interest in the area over the last year the indications are that those attributes may be in jeopardy,? Bureau of Reclamation Natural Resource Manager Robert ?Hap? Boyer said.

Anderson said the decision comes a huge surprise to everyone in the community.

“It completely blindsided the commission,? Anderson said.

By law the Bureau of Reclamation has to inventory the historical sites, examine them and come up with plan to protect them.

But Anderson said he doesn’t see why the study and survey of those archeological areas couldn’t be done while leaving the land open.

“I feel that strongly, as the constituency of Power County we want to keep it open. We’re not opposed to them doing their inventory and their survey on that,? Anderson said.

In a statement released Friday, the bureau said, ?The enforcement of a temporary lands closure downstream of American Falls Dam will have no impact to fishing, river access or waterfowl hunting as the federal government works to protect cultural and historical resources.?

Once the closure starts in April, the bureau said the area will be patrolled by local law enforcement, but the the Power County Sheriff’s Office said that won’t be easy.

“To enforce a total closure on that area would be extremely difficult to do with our given manpower,? Deputy Sheriff Kevin Ostler said.

Originally 4,000 acres were announced in the planned closure, but that number has now been set at 2,195.

The Bureau of Reclamation is holding a public meeting about the closure Monday at 2 p.m. in the Power County Courthouse.