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Take a hike where the deer, elk roam

Haven from elements no longer needed

Bureau of Land Management and city of Durango low-elevation areas that were closed to the public in December to provide winter range for deer and elk are open again.

The areas are closed annually to give deer and elk relief from snow and cold at higher elevations. Harsh winters tax their strength and endurance.

The presence of people and particularly dogs put undue stress on the animals.

The list of reopened areas includes Sale Barn and Big Canyon trailheads off U.S. Highway 160, South Rim, Telegraph and Sidewinder trails, the trails on BLM lands accessed from the Carbon Junction Trail, the trails in the upper portion of Animas City Mountain and trails in Twin Buttes.

BLM rangers said in January that trespassing was so rampant that they were no longer going to warn people found in the off-limit areas, but issue $275 citations.

No one at the Tres Rios field office of the BLM could say Wednesday if anyone was cited for trespassing. Rangers were occupied elsewhere, a spokeswoman said.

daler@durangoherald.com



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