Restoring old mining claims to the public-
Old mining claims have a nasty tendency to become remote, jarring, difficult-to-service trophy homes.
For years the Trust for Public Lands has helped move old mining claims (federal lands that were privatized and perhaps mined at one time) back into the public estate.
John Miller of the Associated Press has written a story about them. Conservationists, Forest Service buy up mines. AP.
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
Good stuff. The Trust is doing the right – and best – thing for the land. As I rember, though, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has been dragging for eight years because of the Bush administration’s desire not to enlarbe the public land trust.