Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 was a challenging year for the Arizona law enforcement program. It could be defined by border-related issues, rapid increases in population, and personnel vacancies. The effects of activities along the international border with Mexico continue to demand attention from both our Rangers and Special Agents. Both human and drug smuggling continue to negatively affect visitor and employee safety and degrade the natural resources, especially the Sonoran Desert and Ironwood Forest National Monuments.

Arizona is experiencing some of the fastest population growth in the United States. This growth places increasing demands on the Arizona Rangers in calls for service. At the end of FY 2006 and into FY 2007, the Arizona law enforcement program lost eight Ranger and Agent positions to promotions and retirements, adding to the workload of our incumbent workforce.

The Arizona Strip District is affected by the rapidly increasing population of the greater St. George, Utah, area. Rangers are handling more investigations related to the dumping of household trash and OHV issues, as well as continuing to protect the many historical and prehistoric sites within the district. Having a close working relationship with the Arizona Game and Fish Department has helped during the many popular trophy big game hunts on the Arizona Strip.

Colorado River District (CRD) Rangers continue to deal with water-based recreational demands along the River, especially through the use of State Authority granted by the Mohave and Yuma County Sheriffs. The Quartzite long-term visitor area attracts large numbers of recreational campers in winter and our Rangers work closely with the Quartzite Police Department (PD) to deal with law enforcement incidents in this area. The Quartzite POW-WOW rock and gem show, estimated to bring more than 1 million visitors over a 2-week period, showed an increase in related crimes. CRD Rangers were assisted by three Rangers from California during this event and made eight felony arrests for drug- and weapons-related offenses. Field Staff Ranger Keith Dorsey and Special Agents Carmen Petrillo and Rob Vaitkus investigated the theft of a large petroglyph from public lands near Yuma, successfully recovering the petroglyph and pursuing charges against the suspect. The Gila District continues to be heavily involved with issues related to the international border with the Republic of Mexico. Violence committed by human and drug smuggling organizations remains a concern for employee and visitor safety. There was a triple homicide at the Ironwood Forest National Monument in February related to human smuggling; Gila District Rangers were first on the scene and assisted Border Patrol and the Pima County Sheriff with the investigation. The Safford Field Office is experiencing an increase in recreation, especially OHV-related activities such as the permitted Poker Run at the Hot Well Dunes OHV area. This event grows each year, with more than 3,200 visitors and participants at this year’s event, and 40 citations, 5 medical assists, and 3 DUI arrests.

Phoenix District lands are increasingly viewed as the open space for Maricopa County, one of the fastest growing Counties in the United States. With that growth comes the challenge of protecting public resources and ensuring the safety of visitors. Special Agent Robert Babb obtained an arrest warrant for a caretaker at a mine near the Hassayampa Field Office who had fired on BLM contract employees working in the area; this case is ongoing. Rangers deal with increased conflicts between user groups, including recreational shooters, horseback riders, and hikers. They are also working to reduce the conflict between long-time rural residents and increasing OHV use from new residents in the area. Cooperation continues with the Border Patrol and other agencies on border-related smuggling activities and their related effects on District lands. District Ranger Patrick Brasington seized 4,661.5 pounds of marijuana being smuggled across public lands in the Lower Sonoran Field Office in February.

Special Agent Bob Ruis is now assigned to the Arizona High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area in Tucson to facilitate better intelligence sharing and cooperation with drug smuggling investigations on public lands. Our agents are also working to improve cooperation with other agencies through the sharing of intelligence regarding all aspects of smuggling on public lands, including the use of stolen vehicles in smuggling activities that degrade public lands.

California’s law enforcement program evolved at several levels this year, beginning the year with six of nine Agent positions in place. The three vacancies have now been filled. New to California’s Agent core is Kynan Barrios, former Arcata Chief Ranger, now filling our second Agent position at the Arcata Field Office. Our second addition was Patrick Chassie, also from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ranger ranks from the Barstow Field Office, now serving the BLM as a Special Agent assigned to the California Desert District Office (Moreno Valley). Finally, our new Special Agent in the Ukiah Field Office is Matt Knudson, formerly with the U.S. Forest Service.

Each of these individuals was hired during what may be considered one of the most intense marijuana investigation seasons to date. Throughout the State, all nine field agents assigned to California have been heavily involved in the investigation of illicit, resource damaging, marijuana cultivation on BLM-administered lands and adjacent lands. The recognition of the intensity of this problem resulted in three new actions by law enforcement personnel:

The California Desert District (CDD), composed of 10.4 million acres in southern California, contains one of our largest law enforcement challenges in the State. Each Ranger patrols an average of 460 square miles. With extreme desert temperatures, high population density, and vast recreational areas that are widely used by the visiting public, CDD Rangers are challenged every day.

The BLM’s law enforcement program within California continues to take steps toward greater success. In 2007, working in conjunction with the State Director’s Office, the Assistant Deputy Director for the Office of Law Enforcement and Security, the California Human Resources Staff, and BLM managers within the CDD, a comprehensive strategy to recruit and retain Rangers was initiated and is presently being used to fill critical vacancies within the CDD. Additionally, key relations with California Sheriffs and other Federal and State law enforcement programs continue to be fostered and supported through ongoing dialogue with the Special Agent-in-Charge, as evidenced by the renewal of Memorandums of Understanding and the development of new ones. Another projected success is California Senate Bill 742, reaffirming California’s Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division, which was scheduled to terminate in January 2008 but is now awaiting the Governor’s signature.

In 2007, the Colorado–Eastern States law enforcement program provided investigative and patrol support to approximately 8.3 million surface acres and 66.7 million subsurface acres of public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) within Colorado and the 31 States that make up the Eastern States Region. Within Colorado, Law Enforcement Rangers patrol about 700,000 acres of public land per officer. Special Agents located in Lakewood, Grand Junction, and Durango, Colorado, as well as Jackson, Mississippi, provide investigative assistance to the Bureau and to the Colorado Rangers.

Public interest in outdoor activities has increased, including off-highway vehicle (OHV) use. In most areas, OHV use is restricted to existing roads and trails, and is limited during inclement weather. However, a few areas do not have such restrictions and operating an OHV in a manner likely to cause resource damage is still of concern. Colorado is also experiencing an emergence of legal issues associated with mountain biking activities. In particular, Fruita, Colorado, is becoming one of the premiere mountain biking locations in the Nation. In 2007, five companies were investigated for operating mountain bike tours or races on public land without a permit. Many of these tours crossed the State line into Utah and involved multiple BLM field offices. In one case, unauthorized and “underground” mountain bike endurance races also became an issue. Organized over the Internet through Web logs and miscellaneous postings, one such race involved approximately 160 individuals who met at the Kokopelli Trailhead near Fruita, Colorado, to ride 142 miles unassisted. Because of the large number of “organized” riders, this activity poses a threat to resources, as well as the public.

Annually, Colorado and the Eastern States administer several wild horse and burro adoptions. Approximately 1,650 wild horses and burros were adopted in 2007. The majority of wild horse and burro violations—for neglect or inhumane treatment of wild horses—encountered by law enforcement personnel were handled through criminal processes, with investigations of individuals in Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida, and Alabama. These investigations generally led to prosecution, with defendants paying restitution or sentenced to perform community service. There were also nine individuals who wrote invalid checks to adopt wild horses this past year.

With increased energy exploration in Colorado, there have been more investigations associated with the dumping of hazardous materials on public lands and illegal use and manufacture of drugs. Methamphetamine is being manufactured and used by employees of the energy exploration companies, who are using “meth” to attempt to “function” during their long work hours. Energy-affected Counties have also requested law enforcement support from the BLM.

BLM law enforcement personnel have spent a great deal of time investigating human-caused fires. The agency has been tasked with Fire Suppression Cost Recovery, as well as rehabilitation-related expenses, when intent or negligence can be defined through cause and origin determinations.

BLM Special Agents are often contacted to assist other law enforcement agencies with investigative matters that have a public land nexus. In one instance, the State of Colorado Department of Corrections requested BLM assistance in a case that involved the introduction of contraband by private citizens to an inmate work program. With the assistance of technical investigative equipment, the BLM was able to provide the Department of Corrections with the proof that it needed to charge four individuals with Class 6 felonies.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administers about 8,000,000 surface acres in Montana and more than 300,000 surface acres in North Dakota and South Dakota. The diverse landscape of the area stretches from the Black Hills and prairies of North Dakota and South Dakota to beyond the Continental Divide and the Rocky Mountains of western Montana. In between are some spectacular and irreplaceable public lands.

The public lands in Montana and the Dakotas are as diverse in uses as they are in landscape. The southeastern part of Montana and the Dakotas is undergoing a marked increase in mineral extraction— with all the environmental concerns that includes. Grazing and other traditional uses of the public lands are still dominant in those areas.

As the cities and towns of Montana continue to grow, the urban interface crimes continue to spill onto public lands. As is the trend throughout the BLM, criminals were encountered using public lands.

BLM Rangers and Agents apprehended and successfully prosecuted several felons in possession of firearms last year, and had several incidents occur again in 2007. Three defendants (from separate incidents) are now serving a total of 100 months in Federal prison for being felons in possession of firearms on public land. Another defendant is serving 36 months probation with 8 months house arrest. Several other cases are still in the court system. These cases involve close coordination with local law enforcement, parole officers, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Incidents of the theft and vandalism of archaeological and paleontological resources were ongoing this year, with several new sites being affected. The State Historical Societies in North Dakota and South Dakota reported numerous missing border markers that indicate the dividing line between each State. These border monuments are carved, quartzite rock about 8 feet long and 10 inches thick, placed by the General Land Office by order of Congress in the early 1890s. After a brief investigation, a dozen of these have been recovered and turned over to the historical societies in each State. Also, the BLM was successful in obtaining the return of several paleontological specimens that were illegally removed from public lands by a dinosaur digging tourism company.

The theft and vandalism of natural resources continue to plague public lands in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Rangers have been successful in prosecuting such cases, including the commercial theft of two trailer loads of rock from the Madison River—a blue ribbon trout fishery.

The New Mexico State Office is responsible for public lands and mineral estate throughout New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. The complex tasks of protecting the public, the employees, and the resources are handled by a tremendously talented group of men and women, comprising twelve Law Enforcement Rangers (patrolmen), six Special Agents (criminal investigators) and one Investigative Technician. These officers pursue a broad range of cases and contacts, from recreation-related offenses and incidents to felony investigations. Some highlights of our efforts in 2007 follow:

A Federal Grand Jury recently returned fifteen felony indictments against three persons, alleging trafficking of a unique collection of prehistoric artifacts originating from BLM-managed lands in the Farmington District of New Mexico. These indictments are the result of nearly 3 years of intensive investigation by Special Agent Noel Wagner.

The San Juan County Rural Crime Initiative is now operating in northwestern New Mexico and includes a Sheriff’s Detective and BLM Special Agent Bruce Bigelow, collocated and working as partners on a wide variety of criminal investigations, with support from the rest of the Sheriff’s Department and area BLM Rangers. The initiative is a joint undertaking of the Sheriff’s Department, the BLM, and private industry. The majority of rural San Juan County is composed of public lands. A large amount of oil and gas development occurs on those lands, in addition to hunting and other recreational activities. Recent successes include several arrests for large-scale vandalism to oil and gas structures and equipment and arrests related to the theft of metals and unlawful hazardous materials disposal.

A large-scale investigation is under way by Special Agent Bart Russell regarding wild horses managed by the BLM. A number of these horses, sold by BLM to individuals or organizations, may have been subsequently sold for slaughter in Mexico by those who originally purchased the animals from the BLM. With the recent closure of all commercial businesses within the United States where horses were slaughtered for human consumption, there has been an increase in exportation of both domestic horses and wild mustangs into Mexico for slaughter.

Illegal activities on the international border with Mexico continue to increase, as do effects on public lands resources near the border. As part of the BLM’s commitment to international border enforcement issues, the Special Agent-in-Charge is a member of the Executive Board of the New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) organization, made up of Federal, State, and local law enforcement organizations combating drug activities throughout New Mexico and along the border, and two New Mexico BLM Special Agents are collocated with interagency HIDTA Initiatives.

The BLM has recently formalized an intensive field training program for newly hired patrol officers. New Mexico is at the forefront of that effort, with Santa Fe Resident Ranger Steve Martin and Las Cruces District Ranger Tim Nicoulin as new Field Training Officers. These Officers have worked this year with a series of new Rangers from throughout the Bureau, sharing their intimate knowledge of resource law enforcement and the BLM.

In 2007, the Oregon–Washington law enforcement program completed another year of tasks associated with the unique management and administration of public lands. As always, the protection and safety of public land visitors, agency employees, structures, and infrastructure remains our highest priority. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages more than 221 sites, including offices, campgrounds, visitor centers, lighthouses, day-use areas, tree farms, and maintenance shops. This is a huge undertaking for the 21 Rangers and 5 Special Agents assigned to Oregon and Washington.

In tackling this investigative priority, our office participated in Operation Backfire. During 1995–2001, the BLM, U.S. Forest Service, other agencies, and private businesses saw their structures and property as targets of arson, destruction, and vandalism by subjects affiliated with the Earth Liberation Front (or American Liberation Front). In 2004, Operation Backfire was formed under the oversight of the U.S. Attorney’s Office (District of Oregon). From 2004 through 2007, Oregon BLM Special Agent Lisa Lewman was assigned to the taskforce, working with the USFS, FBI, ATF, and other agencies. As a result of thousands of hours of work by the taskforce members, BLM Agents, Rangers, and employees, the persons responsible for these crimes were identified, captured, and prosecuted. In FY 2007, ten defendants were brought to justice and sentenced to a total of 72 years in prison, with combined fines and restitution totaling $53.4 million dollars. The BLM will recover more than $400,000 for the 1997 and 2001 arson fires at the Burns, Oregon, and Susanville, California, wild horse sites.

Over the past several years, one of the most visible threats to Oregon public land visitors, employees, and resources has been the cultivation of marijuana by armed suspects. In 2007, the Special Agentin-Charge, working with the National Marijuana Initiative, Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, United States Attorney’s Offices, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Forest Service, State Police, and Sheriff’s Offices began an organized and coordinated effort to investigate and eliminate these illicit drug manufacturing sites from public land. As a result of such efforts, statewide totals in arrests, seizure of firearms, plants, indictments, and prosecutions have all increased.

Our second major investigative priority is the protection of cultural resources and Native American human remains. There are thousands of recorded and unrecorded cultural sites on the 16 million acres BLM manages in Oregon and Washington. In 2003, Special Agent Dennis Shrader received information concerning the organized theft and trafficking of Native American cultural resources and human remains from public land in central Oregon. As a result, Operation Bring ’Em Back was initiated as a long-term investigation focusing on the unlawful removal, theft, destruction, and trafficking of Native American human and cultural resources on public land. In FY 2007, this ongoing operation resulted in the prosecution of several defendants, who were sentenced to prison or probation, banished from all Federal lands, and ordered to pay restitution and forfeit artifacts.

In 2007, the Utah BLM law enforcement program was tasked with a variety of challenging law enforcement issues. These issues were associated with the management of more than 22 million acres of surface area and more than 33 million acres of subsurface acres of public land in Utah. The main investigations and activities pertaining to the Utah law enforcement program were related to recreational, paleontological, archaeological, and fire investigations. In addition, Utah experienced a significant increase in the demand for oil and gas services involving public lands, resulting in several investigations associated with the oil and gas program. As a result of the 2005 Energy Act, Utah has experienced a 250% increase in drilling applications.

An extraordinary amount of recreational opportunities are available to the public on lands administered by the BLM in Utah. The BLM law enforcement program was continually challenged with the management and safety of the public during annual events located in Moab, Little Sahara Recreational Area (LSRA), Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Monticello, and several unscheduled events throughout the State. Recreational sites in Utah are national and international focal points, and the industry continues to increase annually. Utah BLM ranks in the top three States in visitation (nearly 6 million visitors), fee collection, number of sites managed (400), and
number of Special Recreation Permits issued. The LSRA has more than 400,000 visitors each year.

Utah has several significant and pristine archaeological sites throughout the State. These include the Anasazi complex at Grand Gulch, rock art at Nine Mile Canyon, Newspaper Rock, and the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. There are also many high-value Anasazi sites throughout the southeastern corner of the State. In the past year, Utah BLM Law Enforcement Officers have conducted several Archaeological Resource Protection Act investigations.

Fossil theft investigations continue to be a high priority. The fossils contained on land administered by the BLM include the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry and the Morrison Formation. These areas contain significant numbers of high-value dinosaur fossils, and nearly all the known Allosaurus specimens in the world were obtained from the Morrison Formation in central Utah. Utah BLM Special Agents have conducted Allosaurus fossil investigations that involve international consignees, with Allosaurus specimens presently being sold for more than $500,000 on the black market—one of the reasons that fossil theft is attracting national and international attention. In February 2007, a suspect pleaded guilty in Utah State Court for felony theft of government property. The case involved theft of an Allosaurus from lands administered by the BLM in southern Utah. The Allosaurus was originally sold to a purchaser in the Netherlands, and the fossil was resold to a buyer in South Korea.

The Utah BLM law enforcement program continues to be closely associated with the Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) program at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Salt Lake City. In 2007, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Utah, reached a settlement of $6.5 million for a wildfire started on lands administered by the BLM, which scorched more than 14,000 acres in the Uintah Mountains. Utah BLM Special Agents also conducted a significant wildfire investigation that was prosecuted in the Fifth District Juvenile Court in Washington County. The wildfire burned more than 50,000 acres and fire suppression costs exceeded $1.5 million. In all, nine juveniles pleaded guilty to causing the wildfire and were sentenced to 30 days detention, $500 restitution, completing a 500-word essay, and 275 hours of community service. BLM is seeking fire suppression costs through the ACE program.  

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Wyoming manages 18.4 million acres of surface area and 41.6 million acres of subsurface minerals, or about two-thirds of the State. Most of the law enforcement issues in Wyoming are affiliated with five major areas: paleontological cases, wild horse investigations, archaeological resources, minerals, and issues surrounding off-highway vehicles.

Wyoming has more than 3,800 wild horses in 16 Herd Management Areas. Law enforcement officials have investigated a range of issues, from horses that were shot and killed to adoption violations. Convictions were awarded this year for an incident that occurred in spring 2005, within the BLM Salt Wells Wild Horse Management Area south of Rock Springs. This case involved four men who attempted to rope and castrate a wild horse using a knife, directly resulting in the horse’s death. The case was investigated by BLM Special Agent Frederick Hurlock and Rock Springs Ranger Christopher Locker with the assistance of the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the Wyoming Livestock Board. The case concluded with the conviction of two Wyoming men and two Utah men for their involvement in the killing of a wild horse. This case is the first prosecution related to the unlawful killing of wild horses under a Wyoming State law, which was passed in 2002 as a result of the shooting deaths of 37 BLM wild horses in Sweetwater County in 2001.

Wyoming minerals are vitally important to the national interest. This year, two mineral theft investigations conducted by BLM Special Agent Gregory Courter resulted in $5,000 administrative restitution to the BLM. Wyoming is also first nationally in coal and bentonite mining, second in natural gas, and seventh in crude oil production, with royalty sales for all mineral disbursements totaling $2.21 billion in 2006. In recent years, several investigations have been initiated involving the investigation of the theft or fraudulent use of these resources, including a large investigation involving a mineral issue initiated in the Vernal, Utah, area, in which multiple Wyoming Special Agents, including Special Agent-In-Charge Michael Miller, are assisting. This year, Special Agent Gregory Courter from Wyoming was an invited speaker at the Rocky Mountain Energy Security Council for his expertise regarding oilfield crime issues and some recent cases he conducted. Agent Courter also finished a case involving the theft of 11,000 cubic yards of sand and rock, resulting in $17,052 in restitution to the BLM.

BLM lands in Wyoming provide recreational opportunities for the region and the Nation, with more than 2.3 million visitor use days—4.6 times the entire population of the State. Off-highway vehicle violations are one of the biggest recreation issues. Wyoming also has the most miles of undisturbed emigration trails of any State. Four National Historic Trails have more than 60% of their mileage in the State under BLM stewardship. Wyoming contains the best intact trail remains in the country, including emigrant etchings, American Indian petroglyphs, and original wagon ruts. Vandalism of the trails and sites is a large problem.