BONNERS FERRY — With summertime comes more people enjoying the great outdoors, from camping and fishing, to hiking and huckleberry picking.

The Boundary County Sheriff’s Office has backcountry patrols set up to help keep people safe and curb vandalism of the popular camping sites.

The patrols are performed by full time deputies and some reserve deputies, which is supported by a grant, which enables them to do the extra patrols without taking away from their regular ones.

“It is a great way to meet people where traditionally they are not used to seeing law enforcement and to keep problems in our backcountry down,” said Boundary County Sheriff Dave Kramer.

Keeping recreational areas clean of trash, respecting the wildlife and plant life, and packing out what was packed in helps keep those areas in peak condition for everyone to enjoy.