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Late night bon fires have become a favored weekend activity among students but many are unaware of regulations.
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The smell of smoke, dust behind an , and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows on an open fire with guitar music in the background are a common weekend activity for students.
“I have heard that you can have fires and I have heard that you can’t have fires at the sand dunes, but I don’t really know all of the rules. It would be good to know them so I know I’m not breaking the law,” Jessica Colvin, a junior from Preston, Idaho, said.
Students have already been cited this year, Bill Boggs of the Bureau of Land Management said.
There are regulations at the dunes that students disregard due to a lack of knowing what they are. Students are in violation of the honor code when they are cited.
Bonfires are in accordance with the honor code as long as students follow the rules, which include being in by curfew, Jim Gee, Vice-President of Student Life, said.
In the St. Anthony Sand Dunes Special Recreation Area, clean wood, charcoal, and paper are the only lawful materials to burn. Prohibited materials include pallets, furniture, tires, glass, and aluminum.
“The only thing that I have ever burned at the dunes is wooden pallets because it is all we’ve ever had. We picked up the nails when we were done,” Colvin said.
Throughout all activities at the dunes, the law requires students to stay on the open sands unless the area is otherwise designated. Deer and elk use the areas with vegetation for rangeland, and birds live in the brush. Recreational use ruins their habitat.
Off-road vehicles are allowed in open sand areas or areas displaying “designated route” signs, but not in vegetated areas.
Portions of the dunes have seasonal closures when humans are not allowed to enter from January to late March or April.
All vehicles on the dunes are required to have a 6 x 12 inch red or orange flag at the top, which is elevated eight feet from ground level. Students under the age of 18 are required to wear a helmet while riding.
Speed limits are 15 miles per hour on the road. The law requires all vehicles at the dunes to have valid registration stickers from their state. Students are fined for breaking these laws.
Personal watercrafts are prohibited on bodies of water.
