March 7, 2000
People with guns are causing a lot of trouble on public land, and federal officials have lost patience.
And it's not just the bullets that are causing concern.
It's their trash!
It's piling up in a popular recereation spot west of Lehi known as Five Mile Pass.
Environment Specialist John Hollenhorst has the story.
Even on a chilly weekday, recreationists love Five Mile Pass. On warm weekends, they flock here by the thousands.
But here's the first clue there's a problem: daylight shines through the welcoming sign.
Other signs are shot so full of holes they're unreadable.
And when shooters bring their own targets, look what they use:
RANDY GRIFFIN/B.L.M. RANGER: "BOWLING PIN. PAINT CAN."
And jugs. And junk. And who knows what.
RANDY GRIFFIN/B.L.M. RANGER: "SOME KIND OF PLASTIC OR CARDBOARD. CERTAINLY ISN'T BIO-DEGRADABLE."
This area was totally cleaned up a year ago, but now it has more shells than a clambake. There are dozens of places like this near Five Mile Pass.
RANDY GRIFFIN/B.L.M. RANGER: "AND THEY TEND TO CONGREGATE IN AREAS WHERE A LOT OF TRASH HAS ALREADY BEEN LEFT BEHIND. AND THEN *THEIR* TARGETS GET LEFT BEHIND. AND IT JUST CONNINUES TO GROW AND GROW AND GROW."
And when they run out of little things to shoot, they start in on the big stuff.
Like an old refrigerator, air-conditioned with thousands of holes.
And an old Gremlin that's been blasted so many times there doesn't seem to be enough metal left to sell for scrap. BLM ranger Randy Griffin says only a small percentage of gun owners cause trouble.
RANDY GRIFFIN/B.L.M. RANGER: "A SMALL MINORITY, BUT A BIG MESS."
JOHN HOLLENHORST REPORTING: "HERE'S A TREE WITH A MUFFLER IN IT, ALL SHOT FULL OF HOLES, OF COURSE. THIS TREE'S LUCKIER THAN A LOT OF THEM AROUND HERE: AT LEAST IT'S ALIVE."
RANDY GRIFFIN/B.L.M. RANGER: "A LOT OF TREES GET DESTROYED OUT HERE FROM SHOOTING."
Shooters need to become more responsible, Griffin says,
or the other shoe could drop; new restrictions on the use of guns. John Hollenhorst, Eyewitness News, Five Mile Pass.
An A.T.V. group has volunteered to pick up litter later this month. And the B.L.M. is seeking hundreds of volunteers for a massive cleanup on May 13th.
