Trevor Delaney

Sports Editor

One local trail has become a battleground for competing interests, challenging the idea enshrined in the multiple-use policy that governs our public lands. Recently, those hikers and other trail users who enjoy using the Lead Draw Trail south of Pocatello were surprised to find that their popular recreation destination had been closed, albeit temporarily. The reasoning behind the Forest Service’s issuance of the temporary closure came down to one thing, concern over the potential for dangerous conflicts between target shooters and trail users.

“With the number of reports we’ve heard regarding near-misses between target shooters and hikers, I could not in good conscience keep the trail open as it currently sits,” said Kim Obele, Caribou National Forest Westside District ranger. “It was only a matter of time until we had a tragedy and someone was seriously injured.”

“It seems like with more people recreating and more new users coming out, there are more conflicts happening with that area,” said Sheila Larsen, recreation manager at the Caribou National Forest Westside Ranger District. “We don’t want to wait for an accident to do something. This time we don’t have a plan that we’re trying to sell to the public. We’re asking people to be part of the conversation to help us figure out what is the solution. Is it rerouting the trail? Is it closing it to shooting? Is it something else? People have gone there and had an incident there, and they don’t go back. It’s the new users that go because they’re not aware that it is an unofficial shooting area.”

While the temporary trail closure ends on July 31, many recreationists feel that this temporary closure is unfair to the majority of the public and only caters to the target shooters whose irresponsible behavior caused the issue in the first place. Local hiker and target shooter Devin Hillam chimed in about the closure, “For transparency purposes, it is important for trail users to understand the baseline decisions that were made before we can comment on solutions moving forward. To suggest that because there are lots of trails in the area, as was done on the USFS (U.S. Forest Service) page, ignores the fact that Lead Draw offers new hikers or those with less abilities a chance to hike a trail and not have steep inclines and ignores the fact that Lead Draw is a great trail during winter due to its lower snowpack. Furthermore, to suggest that there are minimal shooting opportunities in the NF (National Forest) is also myopic and ignores other good areas with access, the vast amounts of BLM land near Pocatello, and the local shooting range.”

“This is kind of non-conventional to close the trail and keep the shooting,” Larsen said. “But looking at all the opportunities for hiking around Pocatello, there’s so many and there’s not a lot of safe opportunities for safe shooting.”

Local outdoorsman Brian Gard added, “No one in their right mind would hike up there as long as target shooters shoot in the bottom of the draw.” Gard also mentioned the problem as being that “almost all shooters want to shoot by their vehicle and in the Mink Creek area during seasonal closures, this is right at the trailhead and parking areas – often in the narrows of the mouth of tributary canyons where people and activity is concentrated.”

Officially, the Lead Draw Trail is closed from the trailhead to the confluence of Walker Creek and Crestline Trails. The Lead Draw area remains open to cross-country travel for individuals to walk and ride horses, as well for activities like target practicing, though Forest Service officials urge caution and suggest recreationists visit other local trails while this closure remains in place.