This one isn’t about Colorado, but it hits a topic that many Coloradans hold dear to their hearts – Sasquatch, or as the locals tend to refer to him, Bigfoot.

While the debate over whether or not this massive bi-pedal species even exists continues, a county in Washington has taken preemptive steps to keep the species safe in the event that one of its members rears its head.

Believe it or not, there’s actually a law on the books in southern Washington’s Skamania County that makes it illegal to harm a Sasquatch. The law was first adopted on April 1, 1969, at first believed to be an April Fool’s Day joke – but it wasn’t. Initially, people didn’t take it seriously, but authorities doubled-down, with the Skamania County Pioneer newspaper publication writing about its legitimacy on three separate occasions that month.

According to Courthouse Libraries BC, the ordinance was partially repealed and amended, with a revised version of the law going into effect on April 2, 1984. In this revised version of the ordinance, the Sasquatch was locally declared to be an ‘endangered species,’ with a ‘Sasquatch Refuge’ created, too. In years since, northern Washington’s Whatcom County would go on to establish a ‘Sasquatch protection and refuge area’ as well.

While a law that bans harming a creature many believe doesn’t exist might sound a bit outlandish, there’s a real reason behind it – to protect people in the backcountry. Given that numerous “well-armed” Sasquatch investigators have been known to frequent this part of the country, there was concern that an over-zealous Sasquatch hunter may harm a human being by mistake, thus the law was created. Plus, there are plenty of Sasquatch impersonators out there – if people were to shoot first and ask later when spotting these giant creatures, there would probably be a body count of prankster humans in Bigfoot outfits.

Breaking the Sasquatch law in Skamania County can result in a penalty of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, according to the Skamania County Chamber of Commerce.

As might be expected, it would most likely be illegal to harm a Sasquatch in Colorado, too. While the Sasquatch isn’t a species managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado’s strict rules around hunting require those behind the trigger to follow strict rules related to when and where any big game animal can be killed.

In other words, if you happen to spot a Sasquatch, don’t start blasting unless it’s posing an imminent threat to human life.