A group calling itself the Free Land Holders built a barbed-wire fence around a swath of U.S. Forest Service land, claiming ownership of about 1,400
Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Extremist group claims ownership of public land in Colorado
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Wednesday, October 16, 2024
San Juan National Forest near the disputed land north of Mancos, CO. Photo: Scrubhiker ([link removed])
A group calling itself the Free Land Holders built a barbed-wire fence around a swath of U.S. Forest Service land, claiming ownership of about 1,400 acres ([link removed]) within San Juan National Forest in southwest Colorado. Some members of the group have ties to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), a polygamist sect led by Warren Jeffs. Patrick Leroy Pipkin, a member of the Free Land Holders, spoke for the group ([link removed]) , stating they have a claim to the land under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the 1814 Treaty of Ghent, the 1783 Treaty of Paris, and the Articles of Confederation.
“The Forest Service don’t own the land,” Pipkin said ([link removed]) . “It’s not in their name. It’s just managed by the Forest Service. I don’t think it’s mine. It’s the Free Land Holders Committee who has the jurisdiction and the authority.” Forest Service records show ([link removed]) the 1,400 acres in question have been owned by the federal government since 1927.
The fences angered local residents who use the area—known locally as Chicken Creek—for cattle grazing, hunting, and recreation. A large group arrived on Thursday to tear down the fencing ([link removed]) . “Our community’s not going to put up with a theft of our public lands,” said Tim Hunter ([link removed]) , a Mancos resident who helped remove the fence. “We utilize these public lands a lot. It’s just, it’s uncalled for.”
The Free Land Holder group agreed to pause the installation of new fencing as the land dispute enters into federal court. The Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement ([link removed]) informing residents that public hiking, biking, grazing, and hunting are still allowed on the land.
** Quick hits
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Regulators passed sweeping rules to mitigate impacts of oil and gas drilling. Will they protect Colorado communities?
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Environmentalists threaten lawsuit over delayed protections for pinyon jay
KUNM ([link removed])
When electric utilities spark wildfires, how much should they have to pay victims?
WyoFile ([link removed])
Opinion: Nations must protect what is still wild
New York Times ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” One key way of stopping further degradation of these lands will be to find ways to protect the livelihoods of the Indigenous people who live on them, recognizing their rights to owning the land and managing it in sustainable ways, rather than resorting to clearcutting, mining, or extracting oil and gas.”
—Ted Kerasote, author, New York Times ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@grandtetonnps ([link removed])
We’re batty for Grand Teton’s only flying mammals! 🦇
Bats are important contributors to their ecosystems as insect predators, pollinators, and seed dispersers.
In Grand Teton, the six most common bat species are all insectivores, meaning they eat moths, mosquitoes, or other nocturnal insects. These bats can consume half their body weight in insects in a single night! Did you know that bats save US farmers $23 billion each year by preying on crop-eating insects?
Researchers in the park are studying our bat populations and how we can live alongside them, including how light pollution affects our native species.
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