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Show Prospectors and Miners Now Need Foresf Permits Regional Forester Vern I I;n me of Ogdun, Utah, today ani;:)untv'd procedures that. miners and prospectors are required to follow in carrying car-rying out their activities on Na:iin:il Forest lr.ncls in the Intennoiintain Hegion. "'1 he Forest Service recognizes recog-nizes the importance of min c.i at exploration and development develop-ment on the National For (sis," explained Ilamre, "But such activities must be carried cut with reasonable care, 5;() as to properly pro-ti pro-ti et the environment and oilier values." Mature stated that, effect-ive effect-ive immediately, all prospectors prospec-tors and miners who plan to operate on National Forest lands in the Jntcrmounfain Region are required to obtain a Forest Service special-use permit for access to their claims. Such a permit is necessary before a prospector or mimr begins to construct or maintain main-tain a road or to use any cress-country access or facility facil-ity construction that wouid cause surface distrubance or vegatative removal to or across an unpatented mining claim, prospecting area, or to a patented mining claim within the National Forest or the Region. Mr. Hamre fur. ther pointed out that if an existing Forest Service road is to be utilized as a haulage road by a miner, an appropriate appro-priate road use agreement will bo necessary. Me emphasized em-phasized that these new requirements re-quirements do not pertain to the use of Federal or State highways or roads not under Forest Service jurisdiction Mr. Hamre reported tha: specific notification of these requirements is being provided pro-vided to known members of the minerals industry and their contractors who operate oper-ate in the Intermountain Region, Re-gion, particularly in RJaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. Hamre stressed that the Forest Service believes that the responsible mining industry in-dustry will support this ao-ticn ao-ticn to better protect our environment. The announced Forest Service actions are designed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Pol-icy Act and within the frame vvcrk of existing Federal and State laws ,and Secretary of Agriculture Rules and Regulations. |
