Forest Camping

[WME]

This probably doesn't belong here exactly, but everybody reads this section.

Here is a new interpretation of an old Forest Service rule.....

http://cheaprvlivingblog.com/2013/06/keep-it-simple-sunday-staying-legal-as-a-boondocker/

There may be members that this will effect

[linda s]

I read this on the other site. I camp most often at BLM land and have never had anyone ask me anything like that. I have a home and address on my license so I don't think I would be affected but still seems strange to me. Wide cutbacks in funding could have them scrambling for for funds from fines I guess. I have been told to leave the area I was in a few times but never fined. Always when I was on a road they considered 4x4 only so my fault completely. I love breaking the rules.

Linda S

[zero]

This probably doesn't belong here exactly, but everybody reads this section.

Here is a new interpretation of an old Forest Service rule.....

http://cheaprvlivingblog.com/2013/06/keep-it-simple-sunday-staying-legal-as-a-boondocker/

There may be members that this will effect

I think the guy who wrote the story has a screw loose (in his head). His attitude makes other campers look bad. He knowingly breaks the law but also feels it's OK because it doesn't violate what HE feels is right. Hmmm. I suspect many law breakers feel exactly the same way. How many criminals commit acts that are against their own personal codes? Not many, I bet.

I find his statement "I wasn’t damaging the land because I left it just the way I found it—no harm done". . . a bit absurd. If a homeowner goes on vacation, and an intruder breaks into the house (carefully) and squats there for a month, I suppose that too is OK? Come on! A few years ago a logger trespassed on 100 acres of woods I have, built a logging road and destroyed over 50 mature hard-maple trees. He did it to get access to an interior remote property. When the State police caught him - his argument was - I wasn't using the land (at the time) and if anything . . he improved it by building me a road (I did not want).

Note also that the concept of getting into trouble for obviously "full timing it" in a camper is not something new or just in BLM land. I've seen many people get into a legal mess in Michigan and New York - even when on their own property. Once a camper is used as a residence - it becomes a "residential structure" and becomes liable for property tax, code conformity, etc. I don't agree with it - but it IS the law in many areas has been for many years. My wife used to work for the BLM and had told me of many full timers who built houses on BLM land and got away with it for years. That's fine with me but don't complain if you get caught and/or ejected. Same with campers.

In Presque Isle Couny, Michigan - one of the most rural areas of nothern Michigan (top of the mit) . . . it is even illegal to build a barn unless a house is built first! Why? The complaint by authorities is - too many people try to buy rural land, "sneak" in new barns and then live in them full time. I sold off a rural woods and field I had (60 acres in Case Township) because I wan't to put in a barn for storage purposes and was not allowed.

Don't get me wrong. I don't agree with a lot of this and am always willing to break a law when - it suits my needs and hurts no one (in my opinion). I don't adverstise though. I'd rather be sneaky. The reality is - there is no such thing as true freedom since freedom for one takes away the freedom of others. Thus the perception of some freedom is based on compromise.

[Dolphinite no longer here]

That's well said, JD. We have 85 acres of woods here in Northwest Montana and I'm always amazed at how much attention I have to pay to keep people from coming in and logging or camping on the land. The old logging roads allow access from all sides to the property and I've found groups of people with small trailers set up on the property during hunting season. Three years ago someone set up a camp and their fire got away from them and we had a full on forest fire going with a hotshot crew in here and two helicopters knocking the thing down for four days. Luckily the fire ran uphill away from the house.

John

[Bob C]

It is not only in remote areas where squatters try ot take over a property. We own a tree farm (120 acres) in Wisconsin and we have a hard time keeping people from harvesting anything they want. I live 50 miles from the property that has been in our family for over 100 years.

I had 5 really nice red oaks stolen last year. They had to use cables and winches to get them off the hillside but worked within sight of the road the whole time. They dragged the entire tree off the hill and ran the limbs through a chipper and hauled the chips away so that I would not know about it. It is hard to hide 5-30 inch stumps even when you cut them at ground level. The trees were all in a close group so it left a large hole in the top canopy, and, to anyone familiar with their property was easy to see.

Those trees were worth alot of money. This is one of the reasons that I carry backup with me whenever I go to the property.

I agree with jd, some people think that because you are not using something, they can take it. We selectively cut the trees from our property to ensure that we have a sustainable crop for years to come. We do not just let the trees fall down and rot.

[5Toyota]

one problam with these squaters in washington state and other places is they have repeatly set up large drug grows out in the woods mostly run by ilagol alions who tend to be very well armed and out in the woods they do not care who they kill

[Vanman]

While back I had a boat and we camped out at the lake a lot. At the Lake New Hogen Campground in central Calif they charged a small fee per day untill late in the year, when the camping was free. At which time a huge group of large RV's came together from all over the northern areas. They all knew each other and were going south from the cold weather. They were oraganized to the point of having a assembled platform which they used to put on skits, dances, conserts, real full-timers.

If I could get Mary to go for it I would like to keep our home but get one of those giant RV's and just give it a try for a while. I guess as long as we kept the house we would be OK with this, but it sure looks now like it's not gonna happen.

vanman

[Maineah]

If it was not for laws protecting my land it would be full of campers when the camp grounds are full (3 within ½ mile of my land). The Saco River is a party spot for canoe rental and camping, on a good day there may be as many as 800 canoes on the river in a 20 mile stretch from NH to basically my backyard. In the past I have had to get people illegally camping on the state land to move to get access to my wood lot once requiring the Inland Fisheries police to remove them because they told me it was there "right" to camp on state land where even they wanted to fortunately the State Police saw it differently as it is posted no camping. Then there is the trash on 1800’ of river footage I have removed dozens of bags of trash left by campers illegally camped on my land. The key is respect and ever year there is a little less, that lack of respect has prompted the laws governing the land. With the BLM land it is for everyone to use for recreation but I think there would be very few people that would enjoy coming across a camper full of naked drunks living in the middle of the trail there are good people there too but it was not them that spoiled it for the rest.