BLM offers reward

COEUR d'ALENE - The Bureau of Land Management is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the theft of a door and picnic table from the Gamlin Lake Recreation Site about 6 miles south of Sandpoint.

According to BLM Field Manager Eric Thomson, vandals unscrewed the hinges to the steel door on the vault toilet and stole both the hinges and the door. Also missing are an 8-foot plastic-coated steel picnic table and a 10-foot chain and cement block that was meant to secure the table in place.

"It appears the vandals tried to remove a second picnic table and may have been interrupted, as they only removed two of the bench seats," Thomson said.

He estimates it will cost about $3,200 to replace the stolen items.

"We are hoping that a nearby resident or recent visitor to the site will remember seeing something unusual or out of place that would provide us with information to help convict the vandals," he said.

Facilities at the Gamlin Lake Trailhead are provided at no cost to the public.

They are a convenience provided for visitors to the area, including those who launch boats on the lake or use the Gamlin Lake loop trail for wildlife viewing and fishing access.

Anyone with information concerning the vandalism at this or any other BLM site should contact the BLM Coeur d'Alene Field Office or BLM Ranger Michael Sabatini at (208) 769-5000 or the Bonner County Sheriff's Office at (208) 263-8417.