IDAHO FALLS, ID – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Upper Snake Field Office has published Final Supplementary Rules to implement the guidance in the Snake River Activity/Operations Plan, July 2008.   The rules will apply to an area of BLM-managed public lands along the South Fork (Palisades Dam to the confluence with the Henry’s Fork), Henry’s Fork (St. Anthony to the confluence with the South Fork), and the Main Snake (confluence of the South Fork/Henry’s Fork to Lewisville Knolls). The new regulations were established to protect the natural resources, as well as protect public health and safety. The BLM will begin enforcing these new regulations on July 7, 2011.

 

 There is a prohibition on the discharge of weapons in developed recreation sites (e.g., Kelly Island Campground, Conant and Byington Boat Access locations). There are exceptions at some of the developed recreation sites during hunting season, although the discharge of weapons of any kind will be prohibited year-round at North Menan Butte. The prohibition applies to all trails, parking areas, and all BLM-managed lands on the slopes and crater of the butte. 

 

Off-highway vehicle (OHV) routes in the area covered by the Snake River Plan will be limited to designated routes to protect riparian habitat. The two BLM-managed trails in the planning area open to OHV use are the Stinking Springs Trail and the trail leading to the Canyon Rim Trail. OHV users will be required to stay on designated routes when using these two trails. Access to BLM-managed lands using OHVs within the river corridors (e.g., levee system and dry river beds) is prohibited. These rules are necessary because public lands have suffered vegetative damage due to OHV use in the riparian areas within the planning area.

 

Visitors floating the rivers within the planning area or visitors hiking on North Menan Butte will be required to use a fire pan for open fires, and to pack out the ash and garbage generated during their visit. Fire pan use helps protect river bank vegetation and allows visitors the flexibility of determining the location of their fire. The use of a fire pan and removal of ash and garbage also assists the BLM in keeping the sites clean. 

 

All day and overnight visitors using the river corridors within the planning area will be required to have a portable toilet or human waste carryout system. Overnight visitors have been required to use a human waste carryout system since 1997, but now all visitors using the river corridor are required to carry out their human waste. Day users are in compliance with the regulation if they possess one double-bag human waste carryout system such as those sold under the brand names WAG bags or RESTOP.

 

Wildlife and habitat in the planning area will be protected by prohibiting the cutting of firewood and by requiring visitors to camp in designated campsites. This will decrease damage to vegetation and limit disturbances to nesting areas for bald eagles and to sensitive plant species. 

The rules will implement a permanent annual human entry closure from December 1 through sunrise May 1 in the area identified at Stinking Springs and Wolf Flats. There has been an emergency human entry closure in place since 2006 to help protect the wintering mule deer, and the final rules make this seasonal closure permanent. 

 

For more information, please contact Shannon Bassista or Monica Zimmerman at the BLM Upper Snake Field Office, 208-524-7500.