Garfield County sues High Lonesome Ranch over road access

[one ate E grain]

I could care less about private property rights on land that big. Ought to be cut up or at least most of it turned into public access for all kinds of uses besides hunting. No one should own land the size of some small state. http://www.5280.com/2018/01/a-modest-proposal/ subscribes to the "magic wolf" theory along with his buds Turner and Chouinard.

Rates start at $1,245 per person for a two-day, three-night stay. Wing shooting for a similar period of time costs $2,620 per person. Vahldiek claims that doesn’t make High Lonesome off-limits to the public. “We just have a different gate fee than the national parks, and even they charge admission,” he says.

When mega fortunes like his get busted up it will be a good day. No doubt he bought his way onto the TRCP, an org that does some good, and maybe some not so good.

Go Garfield County

 

[MTGomer]

Amazing. I hope this isn’t as serious as it looks.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Perhaps the HLR could use some reviews on their social media page encouraging them to do the right thing.

Oh you mean this one right here:

https://www.facebook.com/The-High-Lonesome-Ranch-375781948049/

 

[Deleted member 20812]

I could care less about private property rights on land that big. Ought to be cut up or at least most of it turned into public access for all kinds of uses besides hunting. No one should own land the size of some small state.

I am guessing an objective analysis of the situation is not in your wheelhouse? Talk about yearning for governmental overreach.....

 

[SandyCreek]

I could care less about private property rights on land that big. Ought to be cut up or at least most of it turned into public access for all kinds of uses besides hunting. No one should own land the size of some small state.

pretty ridiculous statement..... if he has the means to buy as much land as he wants who the hell cares..? plus you should care about private property rights no matter the size of the piece.. what a brainless comment

 

[beginnerhunter]

Some new developments, not sure posted elsewhere:

Road-access trial again delayed

A trial over a dispute between a resort ranch and Garfield County over a gated road outside De Beque has been delayed again, after nearly going forward this week due

www.gjsentinel.com

Looks like this thing is entering year 4 at least. Sure, I'll probably never hunt here. But I'm always interested in access issues. And it's in federal court due to it involving BLM lands.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

pretty ridiculous statement..... if he has the means to buy as much land as he wants who the hell cares..? plus you should care about private property rights no matter the size of the piece.. what a brainless comment

I can understand where you are coming from, but there is a tendency to buy land, close down public roads, restrict access to public lands via roads/trails/waterways, buy political influence to allow you to exclusively control wildlife (a public resource) as your own, etc etc.

The entire North American model is based on the idea that the deer are our deer not the kings, and these mega landowners are doing everything in their power to return us to a European model of wildlife use. Therefore while I agree with respecting private property I think we have things have gone a bit to far in the wrong direction.

The top 10 landowners in the US own more land than all the public land in Colorado.

 

[Bluffgruff]

I think there should be legislation in every state that grants permanent deeded access through private land on any established road to any piece of state or federal property that would otherwise be open to hunting, fishing, or other outdoor recreation. No more of this landlocked BS that happens because some local yokel or ultrarich absent douche canoe (or local ultra-rich douche canoe) thinks he or she owns something that they expressly do not own, that they are attempting to steal from the public trust.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I think there should be legislation in every state that grants permanent deeded access through private land on any established road to any piece of state or federal property that would otherwise be open to hunting, fishing, or other outdoor recreation. No more of this landlocked BS that happens because some local yokel or ultrarich absent douche canoe (or local ultra-rich douche canoe) thinks he or she owns something that they expressly do not own, that they are attempting to steal from the public trust.

Problem is some of these issues are caused by counties tax bases drying up and them cutting costs by abandoning roads, i.e. they don't want to incur maintenance costs/ plowing/ etc. so they just cede them to private owners.

I agree it shouldn't, I'm just saying I understand how/why it happens in some cases.

 

[Irrelevant]

Problem is some of these issues are caused by counties tax bases drying up and them cutting costs by abandoning roads, i.e. they don't want to incur maintenance costs/ plowing/ etc. so they just cede them to private owners.

I agree it shouldn't, I'm just saying I understand how/why it happens in some cases.

The canyon I live in has a county road that they simply sign as "Primitive Not Maintained". Seems to work.

 

[BigHornRam]

I think there should be legislation in every state that grants permanent deeded access through private land on any established road to any piece of state or federal property that would otherwise be open to hunting, fishing, or other outdoor recreation. No more of this landlocked BS that happens because some local yokel or ultrarich absent douche canoe (or local ultra-rich douche canoe) thinks he or she owns something that they expressly do not own, that they are attempting to steal from the public trust.

Including motorized access?

 

[COEngineer]

I could care less

How much less could you care? I believe you mean that you "couldn't care less."

 

[COEngineer]

Anyone who says the government should take over private land/roads to provide access should try living somewhere that the government does whatever it wants...like Syria, or China...and let us know how they like it.

 

[Zach]

I can understand where you are coming from, but there is a tendency to buy land, close down public roads, restrict access to public lands via roads/trails/waterways, buy political influence to allow you to exclusively control wildlife (a public resource) as your own, etc etc.

The entire North American model is based on the idea that the deer are our deer not the kings, and these mega landowners are doing everything in their power to return us to a European model of wildlife use. Therefore while I agree with respecting private property I think we have things have gone a bit to far in the wrong direction.

The top 10 landowners in the US own more land than all the public land in Colorado.

I'm guessing Malone and Turner own more land than all the public land in Colorado.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I'm guessing Malone and Turner own more land than all the public land in Colorado.

Malone and Tuner together own ~4.2 million
Colorado has 23 million acres

 

[Zach]

Malone and Tuner together own ~4.2 million
Colorado has 23 million acres

Well, I was close...

 

[88man]

I can understand where you are coming from, but there is a tendency to buy land, close down public roads, restrict access to public lands via roads/trails/waterways, buy political influence to allow you to exclusively control wildlife (a public resource) as your own, etc etc.

The entire North American model is based on the idea that the deer are our deer not the kings, and these mega landowners are doing everything in their power to return us to a European model of wildlife use. Therefore while I agree with respecting private property I think we have things have gone a bit to far in the wrong direction.

The top 10 landowners in the US own more land than all the public land in Colorado.

I just means that wealthy people think buying land is a good investment

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I just means that wealthy people think buying land is a good investment

Sure, and in business there are practices that are illegal because they harm the public, like are insider trading and monopolies.

 

[Bluffgruff]

Including motorized access?

Doesn't have to be.

 

[Bluffgruff]

Anyone who says the government should take over private land/roads to provide access should try living somewhere that the government does whatever it wants...like Syria, or China...and let us know how they like it.

How do these things equate? There are county roads through private land all over, highways, railroads, powerlines, imminent domain blah blah, and the closest thing to either of those countries' systems is sitting in the ....casa blanca. I would say the real crime is stealing public access in the name of private business.