AP News, May 18th, 2007
The Bureau of Land Management has dumped a plan to expand a rifle-and-pistol ban at a bird preserve, a rule that was originally meant to protect National Guard soldiers who train at the site.
Lawmakers had been pressuring the BLM to end the plan for the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, saying that expanding it could actually exacerbate conflicts by concentrating shooters close to where the Guard trains.
The proposal for the 490,000-acre area came after reports that sport shooters who come out to blast ground squirrels on the raptor preserve were also taking potshots at soldiers and tanks.
"Any time a federal government agency decides to curtail access to public lands, we have a concern that those decisions aren't made arbitrarily," said Wayne Hoffman, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Wayne Sali, a Republican gun-rights advocate who intervened and met with National Guard leaders.
The Snake River preserve accommodates one of the world's largest nesting populations of raptors _ as well as gun-toting off-road vehicle enthusiasts. National Guard soldiers have used a portion of the site for their war games since the 1950s.
With just two BLM agents to patrol 4 million acres of desert near Boise, however, gun enthusiasts regularly defy the existing 68,000-acre restrictions on rifles and pistols _ shooting squirrels, protected birds and even cattle, preserve officials say. Officials had wanted to expand the ban by 41,000 acres.
Instead of the BLM broadening the shooting ban, Idaho National Guard leader Maj. Gen. Lawrence F. LaFrenz has agreed that Guard members on maneuvers will warn recreational shooters they encounter that war games may be taking place.
"We neither 'sweep' nor 'clear' an area prior to conducting training. The Guard acknowledges that as more shooters use the area, risks associated with public safety are likely to increase," said Lt. Col. Stephanie Dowling, a spokeswoman for the National Guard.
The BLM said it would continue to monitor the situation.
"As the population continues to grow out there, and the number of recreationalists continues to grow, the concern about safety is going to continue to grow, too," said M.J. Byrne, a BLM spokeswoman in Boise.
