Trouble near Boulder, Jeepers trying to claim private road Options

[59er]

Heads up: the Denver metro area Jeep clubs are attempting to claim that another private mining road is public for their joy rides and other entertainment. The miner that owns it has been experiencing vandalism and closed it to the vandals. Recent article in the Times-Call:

http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=7779

Here is a forum where the off-road clubs are debating whether or not to respect the owner's right to close his property:

http://colorado4x4.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=65365

This is happening alot in the front range where new uses are clashing with traditional uses.

[59er]

CP, the problem is that the FS does not own the right of way through the miner's property. The FS has a history of taking roads that were built by mining companies on private property and claiming them as FS roads without any sort of due process. If you look at the history of the FS, it wasn't even created until well after most of the mining land in the Front Range was patented. So how can private property become public property without just compensation to the miners? If it's actually public property, then why are the owners getting tax bills for it (and who maintains it, and who gets sued if somebody gets hurt there)? If there is a legitimate need to cross private property, then the FS can lease or buy an easement. What they can't do is declare a mining road to be a publiic road just by drawing it on a map. The ranger does not have any power whatsoever over private land.

I don't see how it matters whether a mine is active or not. Remember this is patented land not just a claim, so the owner has the right to defend his land, regardless of what he is doing with it. As for 4-wheelers vs. teenagers with too much time: not much difference when you are talking about Boulder County. They also don't even stay on the roads, and people in vehicles tend to haul away everything from old equipment to ore.

There are many ways to get to public land without having to cut across private property without permission. The bottom line: if it aint FS land, it ain't YOUR forest.