This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Recreational target shooting in Utah County's Lake Mountains has become a public safety nightmare. Wildfires, stray bullets and damage to ancient rock art have prompted a temporary shooting ban along State Route 68 on the southeastern side of the mountains overlooking Utah Lake.
But now the Bureau of Land Management is considering the county's request to hand over 160 acres to develop into a bona fide shooting range, where people can fire away without fear of starting a fire or hitting cows or motorists.
The possible land transfer is connected with an expedited revision the BLM is proposing for its Pony Express resource management plan, as it tries to better govern target shooting on public lands so close to a rapidly growing area of the state. The plan amendment affects the 8,124-acre Eastern Lake Mountains Area south of Saratoga Springs.
"The increase of recreational shooting in this area has resulted in resource impacts, use conflicts and public health and safety issues," the agency posted on its website. "These include unsafe shooting practices — endangering private residents, motorists on Highway 68, other visitors to the area and livestock; unsightly and unsafe trigger trash sites — many with hazardous materials; target shooting-related wildfires; and damage to Native American rock art panels, signs, power lines and private property."
Officials believe a public shooting range could help reduce such problems, but the BLM is prohibited by policy from establishing shooting ranges on public lands.
The Recreation and Public Purposes Act (R&PP) offered a solution by presenting a pathway for the agency to give land to Utah County, which would take responsibility for developing and operating a shooting range, according to BLM district manager Kevin Oliver.
"There is such a concentration of target shooting and concentration of impacts. That's where the R&PP Act comes in," Oliver said.
Rather than dispersed shooting spread along the roads, there would be a dedicated range where the impacts could be focused and managed. He noted that there are 3.1 million acres of public land open to shooting in his district.
The proposed range would be off Soldier Pass Road on the southeast side of the mountains, about a mile above Highway 68.
The idea is to balance public safety and resource protection with the public's right to recreate on public land and exercise Second Amendment rights, according to Utah County Commissioner Gregory Graves.
"An isolated range will help us to protect our citizens and land out there," Graves said. "There are lots of resources out there we want to protect, including farmland. We are getting calls from farmers who say they are getting unintentionally shot at. According to the sheriff, shooting takes place out there daily."
The county has yet to develop a specific plan for the range.
Last December, the BLM renewed a shooting closure on 900 acres on the range's east side, citing the area's proximity to the growing town of Saratoga Springs and recent fires ignited by gunfire. The temporary closure expires in December 2016.
Other problems include litter and vandalism. Last July, the BLM announced a reward for information leading to the arrest of people who spray-painted targets on 12 rock art panels left by Fremont Indians who inhabited the area between A.D. 400 and 1300.
"Many private land owners in the area have or plan to close access across their property to keep shooters off of their land," a BLM report states.
One of those property owners is the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, which owns thousands of acres interspersed with BLM holdings in the Lake Mountains. Last spring, school kids — joined by Gov. Gary Herbert — removed 20 tons of trash, bullet casings, shot-up appliances and other debris left at shooting areas on school trust lands. To deter abuse, the agency closed access roads affecting about 1,000 acres.
The county erected a fence last summer along the east side of Highway 68 to further restrict access for shooting.
"The fence has been cut down in a couple places, but it's still standing and most people respect it," Graves said.
The BLM is accepting public comment until Aug. 20 on the proposed amendment to its Pony Express resource management plan. Comments can be emailed to blm_ut_sl_comments@blm.gov with "Eastern Lake Mountains Target Shooting Plan Amendment" in the subject line.
Open houses are set for Aug. 4 at Saratoga Springs, at the Talons Cove Golf Club, and Aug. 5 in Sandy, at the Hilton Garden Inn. Both are set to run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The public has until Aug. 28 to comment on the proposed land transfer to Utah County.