MESA COUNTY/BLM LAUNCH ONLINE MINERAL OWNERSHIP TOOL

GRAND JUNCTION, CO – The Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction Field Office has partnered with Mesa County to develop an online tool allowing property owners to search mineral ownership by entering a parcel number, their address or the area or township. Likely the first of its kind in the nation, the Mesa County “Mineral Ownership” web page will provide the public with a quick and easy way to determine whether the minerals on their land are privately or federally owned, and if that mineral estate will be available on the Bureau's next oil and gas lease sale.

“Mesa County is proud to showcase its state-of-the-art website, and the commissioners are pleased that we can assist BLM with this essential public tool,” Mesa County Commissioner Craig Meis said. “My fellow Commissioners and I feel it’s important that property owners have the ability to learn firsthand what’s happening with their land.”

“As oil and gas activity has expanded, so have BLM’s efforts in exploring how to provide the kind of customer service the public has been demanding,” Field Manager Catherine Robertson said. “This unique community partnership is helping us serve the public, and BLM couldn’t provide this great tool without the cooperation and expertise of the staff at Mesa County.”

Mineral ownership is posted on the Mesa County website, along with oil and gas lease stipulation maps. Once data is posted for parcels included in the quarterly oil and gas lease sales held by BLM—about 45 days in advance of the lease sale—the public can then view the mineral ownership map. By displaying their private property boundaries, property owners can establish whether the minerals are privately or federally owned. If the minerals are federally owned, lease stipulations can then be viewed to see what restrictions there are for oil and gas development on their property.

Information on mineral ownership in Mesa County can be viewed at www.mesacounty.us; click on “Online Maps and GIS Data,” then “Mineral Ownership Map.” For additional information, contact Jessica Peterson, Mesa County, at (970) 244-1640 or Dave Trappett, BLM, at (970) 244-3034.

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