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Colorado Prospector - Gem and mineral prospecting and mining forums _ Fight For Your Rights! _ Latest News

Posted by: rrhobdy Feb 23 2016, 03:40 PM

Hey... We need to do something about the latest news on Yahoo.com where it is reported that Congress is now considering 3 separate bills to transfer millions of acres of federal lands and National Forests to the States. What is that going to do to us prospectors when it is the states that do a worse job of denying us access to lands to pan or prospect than the national government. Granted, I've got my beefs with the Forest Service and BLM, but not like I do with various states that prohibit us from doing anything like panning, sluicing, dredging, etc.

Posted by: swizz Feb 23 2016, 04:02 PM

I can't find anything on Yahoo news regarding this... do you have a link?

Posted by: Crusty Feb 23 2016, 04:11 PM

QUOTE (swizz @ Feb 23 2016, 03:02 PM) *
I can't find anything on Yahoo news regarding this... do you have a link?


I tried too... was about to ask also!

Posted by: EMac Feb 25 2016, 01:17 PM

Not yahoo, but this article summarizes it (found from googling "federal land transfer to states" and shortening to stories written in the past month): http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/02/23/3752342/bundy-copycat-bills-public-lands/

The quoted article from Colorado College is here, and the figure they quote is in paragraph 3: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/dotAsset/10b5e54f-bd80-4b72-9390-cde2161bcefd.pdf

The bills can be found here:
https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/hr3650/BILLS-114hr3650ih.xml
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2316
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4579/text#toc-H3A224C88F6514837AC67E35EBF172B3D

I haven't perused them yet, but may do some research later on this if I'm so inclined.

Posted by: traddoerr Jun 18 2016, 03:09 PM

Hello all,

Been awhile since I have posted, dropped in a time or two to read up on everyone's adventures. As mentioned above these bills can spell real trouble for everyone that uses public lands. Even though this has only gone through committee, and most likely will be killed on the floor it is an issue that is being pushed by greed. Last year they tried to pass similar bills that were killed once on the floor. For any and all of us who prospect/hunt/fish on public lands stand to loose the very things that make us who we are.


Here is a statement from Back Country Hunters & Anglers (BHA) web site on the subject.

[On June 15th the House Committee on Natural Resources held a legislative markup on 19 bills and passed two out of committee that would spell disaster for our national public lands.

Rep. Raul Labrador’s (ID) Self-Sufficient Community Lands Act (H.R. 2316) and Rep. Don Young’s (AK) State National Forest Management Act of 2015 (H.R. 3650) would result in the seizure of millions of acres of public lands and threaten the health of our national forest system, fish and wildlife habitat, and public access to quality hunting and fishing.

Contact your members of Congress today and tell them legislation like this doesn’t belong in America - and would compromise the integrity of our proud public lands legacy.]

Hope you all have a great year digging!!!

Posted by: johnnybravo300 Jun 19 2016, 06:59 AM

According to the feds, natl forest is theirs and they do own it. I've been told that in court in grand junction a few years ago when I was fighting a bogus 400 ticket from a ranger. It's theirs and they "grant" us the rights as they see fit.
I fought it hard and it was dropped to 100 but it didn't really matter.
I was in a camping spot for eight days when the ranger pulled up. I said I thought i had 14 days to camp there and he said I have what he lets me have. We were in our RV at cement creek campground.
He wrote me a ticket and left. I wasn't prospecting, just out camping with my wife and daughter. We didn't break a single law.
Basically it goes like that. Since they make the rules they can change the rules as they see fit.
"Public lands" aren't "public owned" according to them, no matter what citizens think. They made that very clear to me.
We're at the mercy of their desicions and are quickly losing our rights in America. We may consider those lands ours but in no way do the feds consider them ours.
There is a massive break down somewhere in there and in the end they will probably try to take what they want and steal the rest unfortunately.
We have to take our rights back or its over, and they aren't going to relieve the power willingly.
The court systems are run by the same crooks. I had to go to federal court for a federal ticket. It's like letting a coach from a team be the referee in a game his team is playing in.
The system is set up to protect and defend them from the citizens. Easy to see through.

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