Forest Service Problems
in Colorado LetterFrom:Bob Sanchez&quo <;bob80915@peoplepc.com>
To: phxjeff@hposoft
Subject: Hello Jeff
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 20:02:22 -0700Jeff,
You are not alone in your fight with the NFS - their actions are the same in almost every sector of the country where they preside.
I purchased an 80 acre mining claim (deeded in 1800's), and have had several run ins with the NFS. I too have a road cutting through my property that the forest service claims. The records show that the roads existed and were created due to mineral excavation and exploration (the gold rush days). The Forest Service did not even start until 1910 or 1911.
The NFS entered our land (bought by a friend and myself in 94 or so - would have to look up specifics, but a few years ago the Forest Service took it upon themselves to install a fence and cattleguard across our property along a section line (splitting our property in half).The also took a D-9 cat and dropped a ripping blade to destroy a road - the first 200 feet existed and started on our property. When they plowed the road and installed the fence, they also knocked over several hundred trees. They laid the trees over the road in an effort to discourage travel on the road. They also then sold a grazing contract to a rancher in Salida Co. to place several hundred cows on the land. We have had several drought years, and the creek has dried up the past 2 years, the cattle stay in our lower meadows, and graze (there is not much grass growing anywhere else), and the cattle stay in the meadows because we have a natural spring producing water for them.
All of this was done without the NFS ever making any attempt to contact us or ask permission to access our land.
We contacted Scott McGinnis, and he wrote a few letters on our behalf, and the Forest Service scheduled a meeting with us - and of course never took ownership for their damage, and also stated that they "might" have entered our private property in error. They agreed to remove the fence, and place it on the upper boundaries of our property, and repair the road.
They had already removed the lumber form installing the fence (several hundred trees), but agreed to clean up the trees they knocked over to close the road. They agreed to also bring in a hand crew to repair the road. It took them three years to remove the land and repair the road, but then they called us to advise us that they would not relocate the fence, because they could not afford to survey the boundaries of the property they agreed to move it to. My buddy is a Colo. Licensed Surveyor, and spent the weekend surveying the boundary (approx. one mile of shooting and staking every 10 feet or so, and he filed the survey with the govt. and called them to inform them that they could start the fence replacement (they wanted the fence - to honor their grazing arrangement).They then did nothing for another 6-7 months and called us to inform us that they had reconsidered and would not be replacing the fence on our property so they did not need the survey.
They have been impossible to deal with.
They continually pay no heed to us, or to the fact that the property is private. This year they sent us a letter stating that we were not allowed to access our property until they allowed us to because we might damage the roads while entering our property.
Bob Sanchez and Eldon Knoll
Owners of the Bradford Placer
Park County Colo.
