NEDERLAND — Those who live along national forest land near this mountain enclave are well-acquainted with gunfire.

A few of them, like Joe Jogerst, whose home is in a neighborhood just outside Nederland’s small confines in Boulder County, say recreational shooting has come too close for comfort. A rouge bullet once pierced a neighbor’s window, Jogerst said, and he often finds rubbish left behind by shooters.

“In the last five years or so, dispersed (recreational) shooting has gotten really out of hand,” he said.

Jogerst joined dozens of other concerned residents at a packed information session Monday night at the Nederland Community Center to learn more about a proposed management plan the U.S. Forest Service hopes will cut down on the ire. Many said they fear the plan doesn’t go far enough.

The proposal, introduced in May in response to increased shooting, would redesignate 287,000 acres of the 1.1 million-acre Arapho and Roosevelt national forests as unsuitable for recreational shooting. Land impacted would span Boulder, Grand, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer and Park counties and is slated for implementation in late 2016.

The proposal aims to eliminate shooting on lands that are less than a half-mile from homes or in areas of highly concentrated recreational use. It also calls for at least one designated shooting range in each of the seven counties where the forests lie.

According to current firearms rules, firing a gun in the forest is allowed except for within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreational site or other occupied area, or in any circumstance in which a person could be injured or property damaged.

The proposal would expand on those restrictions in areas identified by Forest Service officials.

Efforts on the program were heightened after the July 3 death of Glenn Martin, 60, who was fatally shot at a Douglas County campground as he waited to roast marshmallows with his family, Forest Service officials say. Martin’s slaying has stoked the debate about recreational shooting in national forests.

An investigation into his killing remains ongoing.

The majority of those at Monday’s meeting — the first of three to be held in the impacted areas — said they support the idea of program but that more restrictions should be in place.

“I think the jury is out,” said Jennifer Stewart, of Nederland, of the management plan. She said she thinks allowing shooting within a half-mile of homes is too close.

Forest Service officials said they hope public input from the three meetings will help in the final drafting of the plan.

“This is taking a bigger look,” said Tammy Williams, a Forest Service spokeswoman.

Williams said the sessions are meant to give officials a chance to explain the nuances of the proposal and let residents voice their concerns. In an earlier comment period, about 300 opinions on the program were filed and reviewed, she said.

“Shooting is a long-term, historic (and) justified use of public lands,” said Betina Mattesen, who attended the meeting. “But it has to be safe and environmentally sound. There has to be a balance.”

Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul