Poop, litter, broken fences: Utah wildlife area shut down after campers trash it

Poop, litter and chopped up wooden fences trashed a campsite in a wildlife management area, Utah officials said.

Now it’ll be shut down for overnight use.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources purchased a 1-mile stretch of East Fork Little Bear River from an owner in the ‘80s to make sure the river would be open to anglers.

“The East Fork Little Bear Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a great place to fish for brown trout, especially in the fall,” officials said on Facebook. “The area was not acquired to give people a place to camp.”

Over the years, however, officials started to allow camping in the area ⁠— if campers respected the land and wildlife. But that hasn’t been the case, officials said.

The land has been trashed, according to the Division of Wildlife Resources. Photos of the area show litter scattered on the ground. Officials said some campers left behind their poop.

“The misuse of the area by campers has included leaving trash and human excrement scattered across the WMA,” Habitat Manager Daniel Olson said in the April 29 news release. “Wooden fences on the WMA have been broken apart, chopped up and used as firewood. Campers have also left campfires unattended and have built them even when campfire closures were in effect.”

Roads and habitat in the area have been damaged by campers as well, Olson said.

Because of the damage, wildlife officials banned overnight camping immediately. The area is still open for day use, but no one can stay the night.

“We’re going to reclaim and improve the area and make it a great place to fish again,” Olson said in the release. “We’ve worked hard to improve the river and make it a great place for fish and anglers.”

The East Fork Little Bear Wildlife Management Area is west of the Porcupine Reservoir in Paradise, about 115 miles east of Salt Lake City.