12 replies to this topic

[ski3pin]

They litter the west and it turns out the open hollow plastic tubes are shown to kill birds and small mammals. State laws have changed to address this issue and people are helping to decrease the number of wildlife deaths. If you are interested, check out Jim Boone's birdandhike webpage -

 

Illegal Mining Claim Markers

 

and this BLM webpage that also covers the state laws -

 

Wildlife and Mining Claim Markers

[DesertDave]

Thanks for posting this.  I wish I had known about it sooner, back when I used to off-road more vigorously.  I could have cleaned up hundreds of them.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Thanks for posting this.  I wish I had known about it sooner, back when I used to off-road more vigorously.  I could have cleaned up hundreds of them.

+2

Thanks!

[GroovyDad]

Edward Abbey would thank you for posting this.

 

In the past, I've volunteered with Friends of Nevada Wilderness and we removed a ton of illegal PVC mining claims in the Black Rock area.  We took the markers out of the area so as not to leave them as litter.  I'm glad I now know to to leave them on the ground.

 

Thanks for sharing.  

[ski3pin]

Edward Abbey would thank you for posting this.

 

In the past, I've volunteered with Friends of Nevada Wilderness and we removed a ton of illegal PVC mining claims in the Black Rock area.  We took the markers out of the area so as not to leave them as litter.  I'm glad I now know to to leave them on the ground.

 

Thanks for sharing.  

 

I would expect that Friends of Nevada Wilderness or other volunteer groups could/has been briefed on the proper protocol to haul out the removed posts by the appropriate land management agency. I expect that would be coordinated with a list of valid claims. At least down on the ground are less likely to kill.

 

 

[craig333]

Thanks. I had no idea these were a big problem. Not sure if I just haven't seen many or I just never gave them much thought. Not anymore.

[Smokecreek1]

A word to the wise-miners and their kin still have a powerful following both inside and outside of the state and the federal government.  I would not go around pulling up those things unless i had a fed or state mining expert standing next to me. These miner guys are very territorial and are always armed and one of the first things I learned when I went to work in BLM was not to argue with these folks-even though you know the claim is not legal, valid or maybe not even on public land and just say "Yes sir, thank you and good by".and back out let the LEO's/management handle the problem. They think and act like a claim is the same thing as saying that it is their land and no one else or use is allowed.

 

And example of the power of the mining laws: Several years before I retired, I received a phone call from some local Indians, who informed  me that there were a whole bunch of claim markers all over a protected area near Honey Lake.  The area was fenced, signed and officially withdrawn by the BLM from mining entry back in the early 80's. because of cultural and natural values. The area (700 or so acres) was a known ethnographic village site and people were living there in the 1920's and some local Indians i delt with had been born there.  Up until this time, the major problem out there were either dirt bikes riding thru the sand dunes or pot hunters collecting artifacts every time the wind blew the dunes to new positions and exposed burials and house structures. Adjac. to the dunes (on some private land and also  covered by claim markers) were a series of hot springs that were being developed into hot houses to grow winter vegies. Who ever put these claim markers up had never looked at the land status maps that are designed for public use so that things like this would not happen-probably did not even care anyway-miners think they can do what they want. Me, I turned  this case over to LE and they not me or my manager dealt with this guy and he was  getting to move dirt when they ran him down and stopped his proposed mine.

 

A follow up on this; the guy had developed a process to get gold from sand dunes and was very serious about and had even developed something that looked like a big vacuum like thing that sucked the gold from the sand-it gets worse, he was so sure that his process worked that he sent us a mining plan(s)-with all the fees and paper work to work a large claim up in NW Nevada and we had to process  and let him do is thing)! He found his claims by flying over the land until his water witcher like thing vibrated (that meant a gold was there), then he landed and marked his claim. Don't think he struck it rich up here, but still we had to treat him like any other miner. So again, they do have power, so don't go pulling things up unless you have the man standing right next to you.

 

Smoke

Edited by Smokecreek1, 22 December 2015 - 07:29 PM.

[Tuff Guy 62]

In my line of work, I occasionally come across 4-inch diameter PVC perforated pipe in the field that has been left in the ground (on private property) by previous consultants who've performed percolating testing for septic leach field analysis.

Just like mining claim markers these pipes are death traps for critters. When I run across them I verify with my client if testing is completed. If so, I pull them of fill them whichever is easier.

[Lighthawk]

Thank you for sharing, Ski.  We will follow the rule of law when encountering these critter traps.

[BillM]

Well I have to admit to pulling my fair share of these markers.  Most claims that are marked this way have been abandoned.  But, safety first, never confront anyone on a claim and leave any material indicating ownership (usually in a small bottle) at the marker site.  Most of NV has been claimed at some point in the gold/silver/uranium/whatever mining crazes and most of these claims have been abandoned. So use good judgement but don't hesitate to remove illegal markers if it is safe to do so.