wyofile.com
I have mixed feelings on corner crossing. If Montana managed wildlife maybe it would be different. To do it correctly there are a lot of pins or walk through gates that the blm needs to put up. Until that happens most will be trespassing doing it. I’m not opposed to it but it needs to be done correctly and it could be the end to any mature mule deer on the landscape in Montana.
If BLM or USFS is offering grazing leases with owners of adjacent deeded land, they should be able to put this as a term and condition of the lease. Nobody is forced to sign and it doesn’t even require a change to any laws. The other party can choose to accept or reject those terms and go seek a lease with a different landowner offering more favorable terms (good luck). Why should our public land management agencies NOT represent public interests in access?
Then why did we need a court case in the first place? What BLM can do is simply use their cadastral surveyors to ensure the survey pins are clearly marked and provide a fence corner that promotes crossing without trespassing as well as ensure the private landowners are not blocking the pin. That would be about the extent of it
If part of the terms of a BLM lease was you had to provide access, most landowners would view a private lease as having more favorable terms even if the cost was 10 or 20 times greater.
Terms can be negotiated. End result may be based on who holds the strongest card on a particular section, and let the chips fall where they may. If end result is legal access, I am happy.
Don’t know of one rancher that would go for “10 or 20 times greater” lease costs. Just not economically feasible.
I don’t disagree but I do think the corners are going to have to be clearly marked.
Agreed and they will be.
I may have miss read your thinking, If you are only talking about corner crossing at the corner you would get some takers as the damages are small if any at all. Fred and landowners like him would not be one of the takers. I replied as if it was all land locked Public land.
You are right, I should have said 10 to 20 times more than the 1.35. It is not unheard of for the price of a private lease to be 20 times a buck thirty five. That price is however not the entire cost of a government lease. There are often costs to a government lease that are not included in a private lease and in general government leases are not as good of quality so you will take a hit on production compared to a private lease. My family has two separate herds of cattle, One spends the summer entirely on forest, the other spends the summer on mostly private and some state and BLM. I once figured we could pay 16 dollars per AUM for the private and still make more money per cow on the private.
If people make more money on private leases, then why do they lease from the Government at all? Is it because these better value private leases aren't available?
