Listen to what a Forest Service supervisor had to say in 2005, just five years ago, regarding his mistaken belief that the Forest Service "owns" the land it manages:
Over the years line officers
and others have received requests for assistance [sic] someone in perfecting
claims to title on National Forest System (NFS) lands. In other words, to use
agency personnel time, funds, and resources to perfect someone's claim to the
public's lands--NFS lands. These requests can range from small and simple to
quite complex. Either way they can involve serious legal ramifications.
Enclosed is a 1-page
briefing paper—"Community Land Grant Claims & Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Forest Service Actions" of March 11, 2005. It contains some background on this
subject and reminders of our obligation to protect title to NFS lands.
Under "Current Status" the Briefing Paper had this to
say:
Debate on this matter has
intensified significantly with the release of a relatively recent General
Accounting Office report …The following key points need to be kept in
mind:
The Forest Service job is to
protect and manage NFS lands, and to defend US title and rights to the land–not
to assist in efforts that intend to undermine US title/rights.
This information is
identified in my book, Trespassers on Our Own Land, under "Notes" as follows:
OVER
THE YEARS LINE OFFICERS AND OTHERS HAVE RECEIVED REQUESTS FOR
ASSISTANCE [sic]: The letter, dated March 26, 2005, was sent with a March, 2005
Briefing Paper to the Forest Supervisor(s)
of the Carson National Forest, Cibola National Forest and the Santa Fe National Forest;
Subject: Land Claims & Forest Service
Actions—Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. It was
signed: H. Wayne Thornton, Director, Lands
and Minerals and had the March 2005 Briefing Paper as an "Enclosure;" copies
were sent to: District Rangers-NMex & AZ, Forest Supervisors-NMex & AZ,
Dir. Of Range Mgt-R3, Dir. Of Lands-WO,
Mary Ann Joca-OGC, Jim Snow-OGC, Dir. Of PAO-R3. The last paragraph of the letter states:
The enclosed briefing paper provides a clear framework for our actions in the
management and protection of NFS lands.
Interesting topic. I wonder how my real estate lawyer looks at this. She is an expert at this sort of thing. I agree that people should own the land though and not the government.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Gerald.Sorry I did not respond sooner.
ReplyDeleteMike
Interesting. There are many individuals and entities claiming "ownership" of NFS lands for various reasons not only in New Mexico but other parts of the country. Probably the most active has been on the Lincoln NF, particularly the Southern Sacramento Mountains. Currently on the Cloudcroft Ranger District. Interesting as it has on occasion involved County Commissioners siding with ranchers claiming some sort of title to the National Forest. The Alamogordo daily News has recorded the efforts of some ranchers to lay claim to parts of the Lincoln National Forest.
ReplyDelete