Boise Parks and Rec reinstalls fences at Camel’s Back after sledders tore down barriers
The Boise Department of Parks and Recreation said Monday that it has reinstalled barriers that were removed by sledders at a popular North End Park this past weekend.
In a Facebook post, officials said fencing around the chute at Camel’s Back Park had been taken down. A photo shared in “The Northend” Facebook group Sunday showed people sledding in the fenced areas near the base of the chute. The user who posted the photo said parents were taking down the fencing to make room for their children to sled. Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Bonnie Shelton said in a phone interview Monday that the same post was sent to the department.
“We’re not here to call anybody out,” Shelton said. “We don’t think it was malicious. People just wanted to have fun.”
The orange construction fencing was installed last fall after the city reseeded the area with native plants. Some of the vegetation around the chute was disturbed as the city worked to stabilize the chute earlier in the year, Shelton said.
In its social media post, the department said it doesn’t want to deter people from sledding at the park.
“We understand and fully support the sledding tradition at Camel’s Back — it’s why we place hay bales around the trees at the bottom of popular sledding spots and incorporated a sledding platform into the design of the new chute stabilization project,” the post said.
“We get it,” Shelton added. “Sledding at Camel’s Back is a rite of passage in Boise.”
Shelton said Parks and Rec might add signs to the fencing to explain the revegetation effort. She said she hopes residents will respect park closures regardless.
“We wouldn’t fence an area off unless it was critical,” she said.
Because there’s still snow on the ground from the weekend storm, Shelton said the department can’t tell if the plants were damaged. Parks and Rec already had plans to re-seed the area in the spring to improve the chances of native plant growth.
The area will remain fenced through the remainder of the winter and into spring, Shelton said.
