§482j Santa Fe National Forest; Mining Rights; Protection of Scenic Values

Summary

Starting June 10, 1949, people who locate mining claims under U.S. mining laws on certain lands in the Santa Fe National Forest gain the right to use and occupy as much of the surface as is reasonably needed to prospect, mine, and process ore. The lands covered are: sections 1, 2, 3, the northeast quarter of section 11 and the north half of section 12 in township 17 north, range 10 east; sections 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 36 and part of section 25 outside the Gabaldon Grant in township 18 north, range 10 east; and about 3,840 acres in unsurveyed township 18 north, range 11 east expected to be sections 7, 8, 18, 19, and 30, the northeast quarter of 17, the west half of 17 and the west half of 20 (New Mexico principal meridian). Claimants may take minerals and the timber needed for mining and ore-reducing work without a permit or charge. Cutting timber for other reasons must follow the same timber rules that apply to nearby national-forest land. Any surface use that is not reasonably needed for mining must follow national-forest rules and permits, and claimants must not block other authorized, nonconflicting uses of the surface.