Pack it out or bury it, but don’t burn it!

Sadly, it's not the first time recreationists in the Boise Foothills have caused a significant fire by burning used toilet paper. Recall back in 2015, a mountain biker torched a 73-acre section of the foothills after making the same mistake.

Fish and Game is urging all recreationists, especially those utilizing its wildlife management areas, to be responsible about where they go, both literally and figuratively. The whole concept behind establishing and managing wildlife management areas is to provide important habitat for Idaho's wildlife. A lot of effort goes in to managing these lands for migrating wildlife, native plants, and quality winter range.

One ill-timed wildfire in sagebrush landscapes can wipe away many of its qualities as important wildlife habitat for 20-30 years of recovery, says State Wildlife Habitat Program Manager Sal Palazzolo.

"The Boise River Wildlife Management Area supports one of the state's largest mule deer herds, and it's adjacent to Idaho's most populated area-that's no random coincidence," Palazzolo said.

"Fish and Game and many partners have conserved thousands of acres of habitat for big game and a variety of other wildlife, as well as for recreation. Fires are probably the biggest threat to that land and the animals that rely on it, so a careless mistake can have big impacts for a long time."

Hunters, hikers, birders, outdoor enthusiasts alike: It doesn't matter if the sagebrush foothills got a few drops of rain the night before or if you think a few scraps of burning toilet paper will be shielded by a few randomly placed rocks. Many of the places we recreate in, walk our dogs, ride our bikes are home to a lot more wildlife than we realize. And once that habitat is gone, it often takes a lot of time and tremendous effort to bring it back.

Not All Grasses Are Greener