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Residents urge Eagle to ban shooting on nearby BLM land amid fires and safety concerns
Summary
Multiple residents told the city council March 30 that frequent, unsanctioned shooting and fires on BLM-managed hills near new housing threaten homes and public safety; speakers pressed the council to adopt an ordinance and improve coordination with the BLM and law enforcement.
At a City of Eagle town hall on March 30, residents called on council members to bar recreational shooting on or adjacent to city limits after repeated fires, vehicle trespass and what one resident called "bullets through their home." Jonathan Seal, who lives on North Haven Drive, urged the council to act, saying the community has endured "rampant shooting up there" and asked that the city make shooting within Eagle city limits illegal.
Mayor (presiding) and councilors acknowledged the problem but described legal and operational constraints. The mayor said the city has been pursuing conversations with federal representatives — including a letter to the BLM and talks with Congressman Fulcher — and that the question involves federal-versus-city authority across roughly 1,600 acres. “We have no shooting in the city limits, but there's been the BLM... it's an apple and an orange,” the mayor said, summarizing the jurisdictional challenge.
Several residents described dangerous episodes: ricochets audible from homes, vehicles abandoned or vandalized after off‑road use, and frequent fires. Tim Merrifield described vehicles and trash left in the area and urged both engineering fixes (gates, signs, parking) and better enforcement coordination with BLM and city police. Burke Mantel, citing a 2009 annexation agreement and federal regulations he supplied to the council, said the city has authority to regulate some activities and urged local ordinances and stricter enforcement.
Council members said they are pursuing multiple tracks — negotiating land swaps with the feds where possible, drafting enforceable local ordinances and improving interagency dispatch and response — but they did not adopt a new ordinance at the meeting. The council asked residents to continue documenting incidents, offered to help coordinate letters to federal officials, and noted staffing and communications constraints for on‑site enforcement.
Looking ahead, the mayor said the city will pursue follow-up meetings with BLM and law‑enforcement partners to clarify authority and enforcement plans. No formal vote or ordinance was recorded at the town hall.
