Enforcement of shooting rules in forest challenges rangers - Glenwood Springs Post Independent
COLORADO SPRINGS — The fatal shooting of a 60-year-old camper in Pike National Forest has prompted new scrutiny of lax enforcement on public lands. Only two law enforcement officers patrol the 1. 1 million-acre Pike National Forest, where Glenn Martin was shot at a campsite north of Woodland Park despite a target shooting ban there. One officer is in charge of the equally huge San Isabel National Forest. Martin’s daughter Carlie said the family had heard gunshots while camping near Rainbow Falls and told a ranger, who said he’d check it out. With two officers in the forest, odds are long that one will show up in time. “It’s a matter of whether we’ve got people in the area at the right time at the right place,” said Tom Healy, a Forest Service law enforcement officer. Still, the number of warnings issued to shooters has risen dramatically in the past year -- from 33 in 2013-14 to 450 in 2014-15, according to Forest Service statistics. Enforcement on public lands is a shared responsibility of Forest Service, state and regional law enforcement, said Erin Connelly, who oversees the Pike and San Isabel national forests and Comanche National Grassland. The Forest Service also works to educate shooters about local policies and to find places where earthen backstops can reduce gunfire risks. Source: www.postindependent.com
