BOISE, Idaho — A fire sparked by target shooting on public land burned nearly 100 acres about 10 miles south of Boise last week. As we head into fire season in our Treasure Valley neighborhoods, I visited the site to learn what precautions our community needs to take when target shooting on public lands.
"What you can see is a fire behind me, loads of trash that people bring out here and want to shoot," said BLM Fire Information Officer Chad Cline.
Learn what makes shooting metal on public lands so dangerous during fire season:
The officer has seen many concerning situations in our local public lands, but one thing he particularly warns against is metal objects like old propane tanks, washers, dryers, and other metal items that shooters sometimes use as targets.
"As you can see, we got metal pieces, tires, and other things, and sometimes when metal pieces are shot with the wrong kind of ammo, they can cause fires," Cline said.
Fires on our public lands are especially dangerous this time of year, with current dry and windy weather conditions. There is a safer alternative for our neighbors who enjoy target shooting - the BLM encourages people to use areas that have already burned out rather than shooting on grassy hills.
Responsible shooters I met at the site understand the importance of proper cleanup.
"Yeah, definitely. I think that is definitely bad to bring out trash and leave it here afterwards," said one target shooter.
The BLM has specific seasonal restrictions in place to protect our community lands.
"From May 10th to October 20th we have a prevention order that doesn't allow you to shoot ferrous metals things like steel targets," said the BLM Fire Information officer.
For those heading out to practice their shooting skills on our public lands, the BLM asks that you bring a shovel, fire extinguisher and/or five gallons of water as precautionary measures. Personal responsibility is key to keeping our shared outdoor spaces safe during fire season.
