US v. Jenks

• Decision Date: 18 June 1992
• Docket Number: Civ. No. 90-480 JP.
• Citation: 804 F. Supp. 232
• Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff, Counter-Defendant, v. Randolph JENKS, Defendant, Counter-Plaintiff.
• Court: U.S. District Court — District of New Mexico

804 F. Supp. 232

UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff, Counter-Defendant, v. Randolph JENKS, Defendant, Counter-Plaintiff.

Civ. No. 90-480 JP.

United States District Court. D. New Mexico.

June 18, 1992.

John W. Zavitz, William L. Lutz, U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M., Richard B. Stewart, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Land and Natural Resources, Washington, D.C., for U.S.

Robert M. Hall, Douglas W. Decker, Payne Law Firm, Albuquerque, N.M., Mitchel D. Platt, Platt, Hall & Lee, St. Johns, Ariz., William Perry Pendley, Todd S. Welch, Mountain State Legal Foundation, Denver, Colo., for Jenks.

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

PARKER, District Judge.

The subjects of this memorandum opinion and order are cross motions for summary judgment filed on December 20, 1991. This suit arises from defendant's refusal to comply with plaintiff's request that defendant "apply for and obtain a private road easement to document his right of access across lands within the National Forest System and to extinguish any claim of prior right which Jenks asserts." Memorandum in support of USA's motion for summary judgment at 6. Jenks has refused to apply for a legal right of access to the three roads in question on the premise that he has a preexisting legal right of access over each of these roads. Thus, argues Jenks, he does not have to apply for an easement from the government since these pre-existing access rights are preserved in all relevant statutes. Plaintiff recognizes that Jenks has a right of access to his ranches, but takes the position that the government has the right, and moreover the obligation, to regulate Jenks' access rights. After careful consideration of the pleadings, facts and law, and being otherwise fully advised in these matters, I have decided that plaintiff's motion for summary judgment should be granted and defendant's motion for summary judgment should be denied.

BACKGROUND

Jenks is the owner of three ranches located in Catron County, New Mexico within the Apache National Forest. These ranches are named the Centerfire Bog Ranch, the Double J. Ranch, and the Patruff Ranch. The lands which comprise the ranches were patented by the United States to defendant Jenks' predecessors in interest. Because the ranches are surrounded by National Forest lands, i.e. they are "inholdings," Jenks must cross National Forest lands in order to access his ranches. The Centerfire Bog Ranch has two means of access; one services the northern portion ("northern access") and the other services the southern portion ("Centerfire Bog Road"). The Double J. Ranch and Patruff Ranch each have only one means of access which are referred to as the "Double J. Road" and the "Patruff Road" respectively.

In the early 1980's, the Forest Service contacted Jenks and offered to provide Jenks with a legal right of access across the roads through the execution of a private road easement with respect to each road so that Jenks may legally continue to use the roads. The easements would impose statutory conditions which regulate the use of the roads and prevent harm to National Forest Service lands such as compliance with public safety, health and environmental laws, traffic control regulations if the inholding land is developed for residential purposes, notice of transfer of ownership of the inholding, approval of plans to construct and reconstruct the roads, maintenance of the roads, indemnification for losses to the government in accordance with applicable laws or other claims arising out of the inholder's use of the roads including fire suppression costs, and termination provisions in the event the roads become public roads. Additionally, the government requires that Jenks pay a fee for such access rights based on the fair market value of the right acquired as determined by appraisal. The government would charge Jenks a total fee of $78 a year for all three easements. Jenks states that he would not have purchased the ranches, or he would have done so at a substantially reduced price, if he had known at the time of purchase that the Forest Service could charge him a fee to use the roads or impose any restrictions on his road use.

DISCUSSION

Plaintiff seeks to require defendant to apply for and obtain an easement pursuant to the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 ("ANILCA"), 16 U.S.C. §§ 3101 et seq., which provides in part:

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary of Agriculture may prescribe, the Secretary shall provide such access to nonfederally owned land within the boundaries of the National Forest System as the Secretary deems adequate to secure the owner reasonable use and enjoyment thereof: Provided, that such owner comply with rules and regulations applicable to ingress and egress to or from the National Forest System.

16 U.S.C. § 3210(a).¹ Plaintiff recognizes that Jenks has a right of access across National Forest System lands as a private inholder.² However, plaintiff also states that this section of ANILCA specifically provides that such access is "subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary of Agriculture may prescribe" and requires the inholder to "comply with rules and regulations applicable to ingress and egress to or from the National Forest System." According to the legislative history of ANILCA, Congress intended that "such owners had the right of access to their lands subject to reasonable regulation by ... the Secretary of Agriculture in the case of national forest ... under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 `FLPMA'." 1980 U.S.Code & Admin. News at 5254.

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, 43 U.S.C. §§ 1701 et seq., provides the Secretary with the authority "... to grant, issue, or renew rights of way over Forest Service lands for ... roads, trails and highways." 43 U.S.C. § 1761(a). FLPMA further provides:

Rights-of-way shall be granted, issued, or renewed pursuant to this subchapter under such regulations or stipulations, consistent with the provisions of this subchapter or any other applicable law, and shall also be subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary concerned may prescribe regarding extent, duration, survey, location, construction, maintenance, transfer or assignment, and termination.

43 U.S.C. § 1764(c).³ Furthermore, FLPMA requires the holder of a right-of-way to pay an annual fee in accordance with the fair market value of the right-of-way, 43 U.S.C. § 1764(g), and requires that each right-of-way conform to certain environmental, health, safety and other regulations. 43 U.S.C. § 1765. Finally, FLPMA contained a savings provision which stated: "Nothing in this Act, or in any amendment made by this Act, shall be construed as terminating any valid lease, permit, patent, right-of-way, or other land use right or authorization existing on the date of approval of this Act." § 701 of P.L. 94-579, 43 U.S.C. § 1701(a).

Jenks argues that he has legal rights of access that predate FLPMA and ANILCA and are preserved by the savings provision in FLPMA. Jenks argues that he has rights of access to his inholdings (1) under Revised Statute 2477, 43 U.S.C. § 932; (2) due to preexisting easements over each of the roads; and (3) under the Organic Act of 1897, codified as 16 U.S.C. § 478 et seq.

R.S. 2477 provides, "The right-of-way for the construction of highways over public lands, not reserved for public uses, is hereby granted."⁴ Whether the roads have been established under the provisions of R.S. 2477 is a question of New Mexico law. Sierra Club v. Hodel, 675 F.Supp. 594, 604 (D.Utah 1987); Wilkenson v. Dept. of the Interior, 634 F.Supp. 1265, 1272 (D.Colo.1986). The New Mexico courts have interpreted R.S. 2477 to be an offer by the United States to dedicate unreserved public lands for the construction of public roads. Lovelace v. Hightower, 50 N.M. 50, 54 168 P.2d 864 (1946); Wilson v. Williams, 43 N.M. 173, 177, 87 P.2d 683 (1939).⁵ Upon acceptance by the duly authorized public official or by the public through use, the right-of-way became effective unless superior adverse rights had accrued or the lands were no longer public lands at the time of acceptance. Frank A. Hubbell Co. v. Gutierrez, 37 N.M. 309, 311, 22 P.2d 225 (1933).

Plaintiff argues that each of the roads in question was developed after the reservation of the forest, that is, at a time when the lands were no longer public lands, and thus, Jenks and his predecessors had no prior rights under R.S. 2477 which survived the enactment of FLPMA. The Act of March 3, 1891, Chap. 561, § 24 gave the President of the United States the authority to reserve lands for forest purposes. Such reservation severs the reserved lands from the public domain and withdraws them from public lands. Scott v. Carew, 196 U.S. 100, 25 S.Ct. 193, 49 L.Ed. 403 (1905); see also Ute Indian Tribe v. State of Utah, 716 F.2d 1298, 1305 (10th Cir.), cert. denied 479 U.S. 994, 107 S.Ct. 596, 93 L.Ed.2d 596 (1983) (creation of an Indian reservation or a forest or other particular use from public land removes it from the public domain).

Plaintiff and defendant agree that the land surrounding all three ranches was made part of the Gila River Forest Reserve by presidential proclamation in 1899. See Joint Stipulation of Facts ("JSOF") Nos. 7, 43, 101. Plaintiff and defendant also agree that the Centerfire Bog Road was developed between 1906 and 1915, JSOF Nos. 7 and 16, the Double J. Road was developed between 1934 and 1935, JSOF No. 69, and the Patruff Road was developed between 1906 and 1915, JSOF No. 106. Thus, all three roads were developed after the reservation of the Gila Forest Reserve. However, defendant argues that because there were other public roads which crossed the Centerfire Bog Ranch and the Patruff Ranch before the reservation of the National Forest, the new roads formed after the reservation still fall under R.S....