Cabin owners 'deeply alarmed' by forest plan

The Sacramento Bee ^ | (Published March 1, 2002) | By Evelyn de Ghetaldi and Liz Arnold

[Phil V.]

Thanks for the ping. I am exercising GREAT self control in not going off in some sarcastic smart-assed reply. I am remembering the way it used to be - summer cattle ranges - cow-camp cabins, hunting, fishing, trail clearing . . . yellow jacket nests, starting at 4:00 AM, ending after sunset . . .

Life is much easier now. Cowboys suck!

[SierraWasp]

"I am exercising GREAT self control in not going off in some sarcastic smart-assed reply."

I think I understand how you must feel. I went to the Farm Bureau Dinner last night and it inspired me to write what I did about the powerlessness that the sucky life lead to.

Although I didn't experience all that you did, I experienced just enough and share experiences with many others like you. In fact, I sat next to one of your new board members. His life experience seems interesting too.

I admire your self-control. Mine is lacking far too often. Especially when I try to make myself quit caring about what we're losing. I still fight the nagging pangs of hopelessness about getting our government contained, once again.

How did the founders do it? Why do the people let Socialism and Social Engineering just swallow-up all enthusiasm for individual liberty? I wonder.

[Traction]

A short primer of lease land cabins within the National Forest. These were established back in teens and through the 20s as a means of allowing people to have residences within forest land. There was no restriction on use and the leases were 99 year types. These tracts usually adjoined private land tracts that had been grandfathered in when the area became a national forest. The National forests were created in response to the massive land sales at the turn of the century in which lumber barons were making millions and paying almost nothing for the land. The Forest Service is strictly forbidden to sale land. Most lease land cabin owners would love to buy the property their cabin sits on but can't. The only way is a land swap where the cabin owners band together and buy some desirable land that the forestry wants and then swap title (4 to 1 area exchange is not unusual). The process of title exchange takes 4 to 20 years depending on local politics and is very rare.

Currently, the rules are.

You buy/own the improvements and lease the land on a yearly contract from the forestry department. The lease is very little (was $156/year when I had mine).

If the forestry dept. decides to revoke the lease for whatever reason, you have to remove the improvements and restore the habitat to its natural setting at your own expense. The residence is for recreational use only (unless you inherited a 99 year lease which has no limitations). You must maintain a permanent residence elsewhere where the official mail can be delivered (PO boxes are not allowed anymore). You are subject to yearly inspection by the forestry (they used to come inside but they stopped that when challenged about a search warrant). No improvements are allowed without their permission and this includes everything from color of cabin to plants in front yard. If it burns down, you can only rebuild if the foundation meets the latest building code (ha, all were build prior to WWII so not many would meet that standard). When I sold mine, the review was on a 10 year basis but I think that may have changed to a 5 year. The forestry will invoke the latest health codes at time of sale which usually means upgrading the septic system. The value of these cabins is cheap as there is no security from year to year. In some cases, the improvements needed to satisfy the Forestry will cost more than the value of the cabin. At one time, they were insisting that the cabin be brought up to all the latest building codes but that got stopped.

The forestry considers them a nuisance and don't want to deal with them. Since their efforts to burn out many and impose Gestapo like restriction on their use, the cabin owners have banded together to from a National Forest Homeowners lobby which has been successful in thwarting the Forestry plans. I personally had to use the FOIA to obtain records pertaining to mine and the Sierra Club handbook on how the harass Government officials to make them back off. We got an interim district manager reassigned after he had proclaimed that his mark was to remove all the cabins in his district. Our House Representative was also very helpful at the time.

[Carry_Okie]

I have ideas for you to take the moral high ground from the RICOnuts and do better for the forest than the USFS could afford to do (which isn't hard). You might even make a profit at it eventually.

Interested?

[Traction]

Moved past that. Now live on private land adjoining the forest area. My concern is the forestry plans to use the eco laws to control the private residences adjoining forestry boundaries. This was a stated objective in their plans formulated during the 80s.

[Carry_Okie]

Want a tool?

If you aren't sure, ask SierraWasp, nunya bidness, sauropod, annalex, sasquatch, forester, AuntB, Angelique, JollyRodgers snopercod...

[Traction]

Logic and moral high ground doesn't work when dealing with bureaucrats. All they know is the regulations passed down by higher ups. Black marks on civil service records are far more effective. This is a matter of using the nuances of the law, public record and publicity to keep them inline. Politics boil down to influence and money. Letter writing and having the time to be at public hearings count far more. Such arguments that may be posed in the book my help at the hearings but if they (the bureaucrats) want to do something, they'll do it unless there is a consequence that will hurt their careers. You have to put them on notice that they are being watched and then they'll be more cooperative. It takes personal time, commitment and a lot of other like minded citizens to make it happen which is rare in todays hectic world.

[kitchen]

... and IMHO, they would also license development of outer space resorces.

Are you aware that Alaska tax law exempts materials and supplies for use on a vehicle with orbital or extraterrestrial flight capabilities from any local sales tax?

[Carry_Okie]

So you know everything already? Yeah right. You're up against more than you think. Ask Doug Leisz.

[Carry_Okie]

The RICOnuts have a name for guys like you: "Willing Sellers" They'll pick off the members of your organization with regulations, one at a time. They'll keep coming until your budget runs dry. They don't care if it takes decades.

Have fun! I prefer to privatize the whole thing.

[Traction]

No I don't and don't pretend to know. I've been through one battle with them and know the power of the empire builders of the FEDs. I do recognize that groups have far more power than individuals. But groups have to motivated either by the lost of freedom, poperty or money to get off their butts and become effective. Right now, I worry more about county and city issues than the place I used to have. I posted the primer as information for those thinking that the cabin owners are a privileged few. Anyone can own one but the downside is the police state you have to put up with.

There is a side arm of the National Forest Homeowners association whose charter is to deal with the conflicts between private business/homeowners and the BLM, Forestry, Park service, fish and game, etc. I've been thinking of rejoining them to keep informed. They have consider power in lobbying since they also represent business interest and have more money to spread around. FR has been another great source info.

[Traction]

I was a reluctant seller as I didn't want to give it up. I had recently married at the time with two little girls thrown in. My permanent residence was inadequate and I couldn't use the cabin. The forestry check school records to see if the cabin's address is being used and will revoke the lease because that shows that you are using it as full time residence if it shows up in any official residence records. The sale of the cabin help finance the house I needed for the family.

[farmfriend]

Bumping for more play.

[madfly]

bumping for current import

[B4Ranch]

No person save Forest Service personnel may enter public forests. Forest Service personnel must file an environmental impact statement on each occasion before entering public forests.

When they get fed up with the paperwork, they just toss a match and change everything. Then the firefighters have to fill out the paperwork!

[Black Agnes]

bttt

[Ditter]

I have never heard of a "vernal pool" in our country they are called wetlands & if you get one you are "truly screwed". Wonder what happened to the "mud puddles" we used to have?