Business
Bruneau Dunes Could Be Abuzz with ATVs
March 9, 2010 
During the Vietnam War an Army officer explained a village had to be burned “in order to save it.”
Idaho Parks Director Nancy Merrill finds herself in that same situation today as she considers allowing dune buggies to chew up the tallest free standing sand dune on the continent to possibly make a few bucks to fund parks.
She told the Associated Press that ATVs traditionally bring in more cash than “passive users”–like hikers, campers, and fishermen. Dune buggies are allowed on 11,000 acres of Federal land west of St. Anthony in Eastern Idaho.
Merrill has a good point about stimulating the local economy with ATVs. The GUARDIAN talked to some emergency responders in Freemont County who told us they sometimes dispatch 2 or 3 ambulances DAILY to the dunes in summer months. Seriously injured riders get frequent flyer miles aboard Life Flight helicopters due to the remote location and difficulty in transporting patients across the loose sand. Only one death was reported there last year, but we were told it was a , “slow year.”
Slow year or not, the Freemont County Sheriff has a permanent sub station at the dunes where full time deputies patrol the sand astride ATVs.
All this comes about in the wake of dwindling revenues and steep budget cuts in Idaho state government. Gov. Butch Otter is attempting to woo businesses to Idaho where he claims the tax climate is “business friendly.” The greenies from Oregon and California will be hard pressed to “sell” gas guzzling noisy ATVs to management and employees seeking solitude and peace in Idaho.
Butch and the lawmakers can expect a sandstorm of comments from people like the newly formed “Friends of Idaho State Parks.”
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Mar 9, 2010, 12:42 pm
The increasing prices for gasoline may take care of this problem. The wholesale price is now at $2.27/galon and is expected to rise above $3/gallon by summer.
http://www.bloomberg.com energy prices will keep you up to date on gasoline prices at the wholesale level.
Mar 9, 2010, 12:54 pm
Not surprised. The usual money-grubbing Idaho state government attitude–everything is or ought to be for sale–whether it features glorious non-commercial values, or not. Values? Otter, and his appointees, “Don’t need no stinkin’ values.”
Meanwhile, this state has a regressive income tax policy that is the prime reason for it’s lack of adequate revenue.
Mar 9, 2010, 1:04 pm
PLEASE DO NOT LET ATV’s on the dunes. They will destroy the area, the dunes and we will no longer be ablto take our small children to the dunes.
Mar 9, 2010, 3:38 pm
I think Bruneau should be preserved “as is” in regards to motored vehicles. It would be a shame to ruin such a unique resource.
A sand boarding concession would be okay as this activity already takes place informally. Sand boarding(concession) could be restricted to certain areas or dunes.
BG- The safety aspect is worth noting but should not be a factor whether or not to allow motorized vehicles. If safety were a major factor , then we should look at Lucky Peak first.
-Staffed by 2-3 different county sheriffs dept (Elmore,Boise,Ada)
-No Cell service
-Boise/Ada respond to medical calls.
EDITOR NOTE–C’mmon Clancy. You could tell we were being sarcastic about the “economic benefits” with frequent flyer miles in the chopper, jobs for deputies, etc.
Mar 9, 2010, 6:23 pm
Cutting spending in government should mean the same thing as a business; pink slips. Got a love it when these people choose saving their job over preserving the beautiful resource. I have an ATV, 4×4, snowmobile, etc. It will make me sick to see this area ripped up. It’s too small to support the crowds that will turn up from the nearby city. This is a stupid selfish idea from people who’ve had their feet up on the desk for much too long. They act as if they own it and are going to sell it to support the department. Butch forgot the department was started to support the park.
Mar 9, 2010, 10:44 pm
Two comments; one – this is yet another example of the use of parks and recreation areas which would “nickle and dime” users to the point of making them less accessible to the poorest of users. The loss of the senior discounts in some (Federal) parks, the increasing “use fees” in others is just another example of little by little removing public access to the publically owned areas. IT IS JUST WRONG on so many areas; the noise, the air pollution, the potential for gas and oil spills, jut wrong.
Two- if there HAS to be another use for the dunes, how about as a refuge for all of the feral and unwanted cats that people are too lazy or too stupid to get nutered? Fine idea, they’d keep down the mouse and bird population of the area and make moguls for the dune buggies and other ATV’s to jump.
Mar 10, 2010, 12:51 am
yet another bad idea. Thanks, Butch.
Mar 10, 2010, 3:56 am
Stupid idea? Yep. Likely to happen? Probably. Ruin the dunes? Dunno.
Can’t remember whether it was this site or another where years ago I saw dune buggies running around on dunes. Asked the park guy about it; he said, by morning, you won’t know they’ve been there. Said the wind comes in every night and puts the sand back into the same formation, time after time.
Here, though, ATVs would make the site no fun for families when they’re roaring around. So, if the powers-that-be decide they have to allow motorized sand driving, how about making it only on certain days, thus leaving the other days open for the non-motorized to play?
Not a perfect solution, for sure, but better than just turning the area over to the motorheads all the time.
Mar 11, 2010, 6:00 pm
I’m surprised anyone with a brain would support such an idea. Who would be responsible for oil spills and drunk driving? Look at the drunk driving problem with boats in Idaho lakes. What about hikers? wildflowers, noise? I think you can already drive on sand dunes near Wieser. Wonder what it’s like over there.
I sure hope the ATV sportsman are better about trash than the gun target shooting sportsman. What is with shooting T-V’s and appliances in lonely road cuts? Is it an Idaho family value I’m not clued into?
Mar 26, 2010, 4:19 pm
you bunch of Winny sniveling little green loving hippy’s yeah there are some people in this world that like to trash places like that and there is a lot that dont, it would be great if they do open it for atvs and buggies. When i see garbage at other dune’s I pick it up and leave it in better condition then it was, sand shifts all the time from the wind what is the differences of an atv covering the plants with sand? when the sand does the same damn thing. “STOP CRYING GREEN LOVING HIPPY’S ATVS ARE NOT BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT!!!!”
Jun 5, 2010, 3:56 pm
Yeah! I cany wait. The only problem I see is a bunch of bark humping hippies trying to stop us from having a good time. I see other states closing areas to atv,s all the time. It’s nice to see that Idaho may have a big enough pair to tell the lefties where to stick it.
Jun 5, 2010, 11:01 pm
Dearest Braaap, They are thinking about opening Bruneau up because they don’t want to layoff or cut the pay of top desk jobs. They’re gonna charge you big! They’re willing to let our dunes get destroyed to save their employment castle. It has nothing to do with “a big pair”, just entrenched government bloat. Something I bet you don’t favor either?
I’m about as far right as you can get and use a very big chainsaw every year. Bruneau is too small, too many yoyo’s from nearby over-crowding and getting hurt. So the rules and cops will be thick and it won’t be fun. Better stick to the east-Idaho dunes where they expect and tolerate the damage, death, and injury. Yes, I know it’s a long distance, but if you put the original tires back on the power-stroke and drive 60mph or so the cost will be about the same as the good old days when fuel was cheap.