Little’s Idaho restrictions slow outdoor recreation
Like land managers in Washington, park and trail managers in Idaho have seen an increase in outdoor recreation.
Yet numbers have dropped of a bit in the last week, following Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s order telling nonresidents to stay away.
“We unofficially observed that a far larger number of license plates in our parks and trailheads to be from Washington when the outbreak first happened and Washington closed before Idaho,” Monte McCully, trails coordinator for the City of Coeur d’Alene, said in an email. “Since Idaho closed and the warning for out-of-staters to stay away, that number has dropped to about an even number from both states. We have not done official counts, but the Parks guys just noticed it and started paying attention.”
Bryan Myers, Post Falls’ parks manager, said he hasn’t seen huge numbers of visitors in the past few days. Last week, Post Falls posted signs explaining Gov. Little’s order. Myers said signs were posted at popular parks that draw visitors from Washington and elsewhere.
Roger Phillips, a spokesman for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said they haven’t had problems since the department stopped selling nonresident turkey tags and fishing licenses. He emphasized that nonresident anglers and hunters who purchased tags and permits prior to April 4 are still allowed to hunt and fish in Idaho.
The Coeur d’Alene Press reported that Kootenai County sheriff deputies contacted hundreds of recreationists at places like Higgins Point explaining the new restrictions on out-of-state visitors. No citations were issued, but misdemeanor citations could be issued and citations could cost $1,000 in fines and local jail time.
According to Idaho’s new rules, anyone from out of state is required to self-isolate for 14 days after coming in from Washington. Essential activities are excluded from the rules.