BLM is at it again attempting to close your roads in Arizona.
They have proposed closing well over a thousand miles of roads and ATV trails which will lock and block public land users from their lands yet again. We reported on their last attempt earlier this year and wrote a letter on your behalf concerning the closing of miles and miles of roads around Bumble Bee. The roads were kept open thanks to your calling members of the Arizona Congress and demanding action.
This is a new proposal to close 1,630 miles of roads/trails currently used by mining claim owners, prospectors, ATV enthusiasts, campers, hikers, bikers and hunters to name a few. BLM, Bureau of Land Management is supposed to “manage” our public lands, not enact ideological agendas to close your lands.
This one is a little different because, as we reported earlier this year, Arizona passed a bill which became a part of their revised statutes which requires the roads to remain open. House bill 2175 became Sec 37-931 of Arizona Revised Statutes.
In this law, it clearly and concisely states they recognize RS2477 roads as being valid and cannot be closed without their permission. RS2477 is a subpart of the mining grants of 1866 and require the roads to remain open which were open prior to 1976 and the creation of FLPMA (Federal Lands Policy Management Act). Does BLM care? It doesn’t look like it in this case. What BLM is doing is ignoring legally and validly passed laws by the Arizona legislature and even Federal law.
Utah had a case just last year which came before the Utah Supreme Court on RS2477 and the judges ruled unanimously in favor of keeping RS2477 roads open as a matter of law. BLM obviously does not care about RS2477, nor the passed Arizona state laws.
We urge you to call the folks listed below who passed this wonderful bill keeping your lands open and encourage them to contact the BLM and tell them to back the heck off and quit ignoring Arizona.
Here are the sponsors of HB2175 (the good guys who passed the bill on your behalf), call them today:
Rep Mark Finchem District 11
(602) 926-3122
Rep Bob Thorpe District 6
(602) 926-5219
Rep Brenda Barton District 6
(602) 926-4129
Senator Sonny Borelli District 5
(602) 926-5051
Rep Regina Cobb District 5
(602) 926-3126
Rep Vince Leach District 11
(602) 926-3106
Senator Steve Smith District 11
(602) 926-5685
Also as a part of our research, Jere found this statement put out by the Arizona Attorney General in which he reasserts these roads will remain open. It’s a great read and goes further than any other state we have ever seen in protecting your public lands and road access. Man do we love this state.
https://www.azag.gov/sgo-opinions/revised-statute-2477-rights-way
So here it is folks. Arizona passed a law saying the roads must be kept open, BLM is thumbing their nose at you and it is now up to you to call these politicians and first of all thank them for passing HR2175, and then tell them to make the BLM back off.
There it is………….don’t sit there and be silent, CALL.
We will absolutely be calling the Attorney General on your behalf and will be calling each and every one of these politicians, we just ask you do the same.
Here is the current letter we are sending to the BLM on your behalf to keep your roads open in Arizona, we’ll let you know what they say.
Dear Bureau of Land Management, October 25, 2018
AMRA, American Mining Rights Association is the nations largest small mining advocacy association with tens of thousands of members, followers and supporters. Many of which reside in Arizona, are real property claim owners and also love to use their public lands in this beautiful state. We are writing on their behalf and on the behalf of tens of thousands who recreate on these lands you propose to lock them from.
We believe this letter, unlike many others we have written to you will be brief as your Kingman Travel Management plan is in direct violation of Arizona revised statute 37-931 passed by the Arizona legislature in 2015. The state recognizes RS2477 roads and prohibit any Federal entity, like you from closing their roads. Also, as a part of the mining grant of 1866 and RS2477, all roads which predate 1976 must remain open for the public use. Please refer to the recent Utah Supreme Court case on how states may pass their own laws to strengthen RS2477.
Please answer this question, “why is the BLM ignoring Arizona law and the RS2477 Federal Grant”?
We ask that you keep our public lands open as they were intended to be, retract this proposal immediately and respect lawfully passed laws in this state concerning the closure of these roads. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
American Mining Rights Association (AMRA)
PMB#607, 6386 Greeley Hill Road
Couterville CA 95311
Here is the link to the travel management plan for Kingman:
https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=renderDefaultPlanOrProjectSite&projectId=89275&dctmId=0b0003e880fa3423#
Here is a link to provide a comment on this proposal:
https://eplanning.blm.gov/EPLCommentMap/?itemId=fdd39ecb6e17493ba78efc4e09cf2bc2