New Guidelines for Survey Monuments Options

[Gene Kooper]

I don't visit the BLM's Certified Federal Surveyors program web site too often these days, but came across a news item entitled, "Guidelines for Survey Monuments". The BLM issued it on Feb. 16, 2016. It includes this section on unpatented mining claims monuments.

Mining Claim Monuments: The BLM encourages voluntary action by mining claimants to prevent wildlife mortalities in open, uncapped hollow pipes. The BLM also encourages the use of wildlife safe monuments for new mining claim markers. Please refer to Attachment 1 for background information on mining claim monuments.

1. The BLM will encourage mining claimants to voluntarily:

a. Use monuments that are wildlife-safe and made from naturally occurring materials when locating new mining claims. Attachment 2 (BLM Pamphlet P-470) depicts examples of wildlife-safe monuments.

b. Replace existing open-pipe polyvinyl chloride (PVC) monuments with wildlife-safe monuments on their active mining claims. Replacement is the preferred method of remediating these open-pipe markers. Capping or filling existing open-pipe monuments is not a permanent solution, but should be encouraged when replacement is not possible.

c. Remove any open-pipe monuments within the boundaries of their claims that belong to claims that are identified as "closed" in the BLM’s records.

Here is the link to the full text of the guidelines including links to three attachments

The third attachment states that there are no Colorado state laws prohibiting the use of PVC pipe for mining claim monuments. California has some restrictions and only Nevada explicitly prohibits the use of PVC. In the not too distant past, PVC was the unofficial State Tree of Nevada! Sure wish that PVC was commonly used in 1979 when I hauled and splattered 4x4 wood posts over 45 sections of land south of Battle Mountain.