By Bobby Rodrigo
Rick Barclay and George Backes are the owners of the Sugar Pine Mine and all mining claims associated with it. On approximately March 26 of this year, the Bureau of Land Management served the two owners with a Notice of Non-Compliance. The Notice stated the owners were in violation of various sections of 43 Code of Federal Regulations and, stated in part;
- Placing, constructing, maintaining or using residences or structures for occupancy not meeting any of the standards of occupancy;
- Beginning occupancy before the filing, review, and approval of a plan of operation as required; and; that they have not filed a plan of operations as required;
- Preventing or obstructing free passage or transit over or through the public lands by force, threats, or intimidation and, placing, constructing, or maintaining enclosures, gates, or fences, or signs intended to exclude the general public, without BLM’s concurrence;
- You have placed gate and signs intended to exclude the general public without BLM’s concurrence;
The order further stated that the Sugar Pine Mine owners had 30 days from the date of service to comply with the “decision” which included the removal of all equipment and occupancy structures from the property in question.
Subsequent to that service, approximately 13 days later BLM again served Barclay and Backes with a “cease and desist order.” Also, during the same time period BLM personnel were caught on the property without notifying the owners before doing so.
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