Reminders to keep public land safe

Memorial day marks the beginning of camping and outdoor activities, but before you head out the Bureau of Land Management and Central Fire District have a few reminders, and they want to put a stop to a problem that has been going on for way too long.

Last fire season was a busy one for the BLM.

“We had 8 human-caused fires last year in the Menan Butte area. They were from target shooting, fireworks, off-roading, abandoned campfires,” says Kelsey Griffee, Fire Information Officer.

The BLM has a fire prevention order in place from May 10th to October 20th.

“That means it’s illegal to possess or discharge exploding targets, fireworks or tracers, steel core and in cinerary ammunition on BLM land so do not bring those things out while you’re recreating this memorial day weekend,” says Griffee.

And there’s another issue BLM has been fighting for a while, Illegal dumping.

“People come out here, they either shoot up their old couches, old televisions old refrigerators and all too often they leave the debris on the ground and it creates a real hazard for the rest of the people that want to enjoy this area,” says Sarah Wheeler, Public Affair Officer.

And that’s not the only thing people are dumping, they’re also dumping animals.

“Dumping large amounts of animals creates a health hazard for many people. There’s a lot of carcasses, there’s a lot of disease in the area and when they proliferate at such a level that the ecosystem can’t keep up with it so it does create a big problem for those that want to recreate in the area,” says Wheeler.

The alternative for illegal dumping:

“Do your research, know when those sites are open whether it’s the hatch pit or the county landfill, know when they’re in operation so you can plan better.”

The Bureau of Land Management has a website that has a list of places you can legally dump waste.

Here’s the link.