Chemicals used as pesticides and fertilizer pose another serious threat to the ecological balance of the public lands that is very expensive to remediate. Conservative estimates from the National Park Service report a cost of $10,000 per acre to restore these areas and haul away trash and chemicals left behind from a marijuana garden.

The BLM is actively engaged with Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service partners to identify and eradicate marijuana cultivation operations. The BLM also works with the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which funds a small portion of the BLM’s efforts and works with local Sheriff’s Offices on funding and personnel in a joint effort to eradicate marijuana on public lands. The Drug Enforcement Administration and State Police agencies are an important part of our efforts, and the BLM coordinates with these agencies at a national and local level in the investigation of DTOs. This year we formed and trained a Marijuana Investigative Support Team to enhance our efforts to identify and investigate marijuana cultivators. A description of this team and its activities is given in the Deputy Director’s message and the California State information.

Oil and Gas

With increases in energy development in the Rocky Mountain States, law enforcement  personnel have encountered a significant increase in crimes that relate to that development. Some of this is directly related to high gas and oil prices, with theft of the oil and gas resource or attempts to tamper with well meters. In addition to the theft of oil field equipment and fluid minerals (particularly condensate), we are seeing a sharp increase in the theft of metals, such as copper, and in the creation of hazardous waste sites on public lands by thieves who burn insulation off copper wire in preparation for selling it to metal scrap dealers. This problem is not localized to a single area, but is occurring in almost every State with BLM-administered lands.

This year, the BLM in New Mexico saw the San Juan County Rural Crime Initiative come to fruition. Rural San Juan County is largely made up of BLM lands and is one of the largest active gas and oil development areas in the lower 48 United States. This Initiative is jointly funded by the Sheriff’s Department, the BLM Office of Law Enforcement and Security, and oil and gas industry interests. Initial successes include several arrests and prosecutions for vandalism and theft involving oil and gas production sites throughout the San Juan Basin, with many additional investigations under way. Several arrests have also been made for metal thefts, and metal scrap dealers are being held responsible for a little-known New Mexico State law that requires them to keep records of individuals who sell scrap metal to them and to provide these records to law enforcement upon demand.

BLM Rangers and Agents join forces periodically with Petroleum Engineering Technicians, State Game and Fish Officers, and other State and local Law Enforcement and Compliance Officers to stop and inspect oil field vehicles capable of hauling fluid minerals from public lands and Indian leases throughout the San Juan Basin, the Permian Basin, and the Oklahoma and Kansas oil fields. These sweeps have resulted in the issuance of criminal violation notices and many Notices of Noncompliance. The BLM is also investigating allegations of illegal removal and hauling of fluid minerals and the illicit sale of these minerals through unscrupulous waste oil recyclers.

There are several themes for Fluid Mineral Inspection and Enforcement issues in Wyoming. The first and most difficult to investigate involve oil and gas measurement and reporting. Other areas of concern involve activities such as unauthorized transportation and dumping of drilling fluids, hazardous chemicals, produced water, slope or waste oil, and saleable oils, in addition to the abandonment or improper sealing of wells without approval. Abandoned wells are a liability to the Federal government, with huge clean-up and reclamation costs, since they are often plugged irresponsibly in a way that causes damage to such natural resources as freshwater aquifers.

In many States, BLM and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agents also join forces annually to conduct inspections of oil and gas production sites for tank netting requirements intended to protect migratory bird species. These sweeps have resulted in criminal, civil, and administrative actions.

In Colorado and Wyoming, multiple Counties are affected by the energy development boom. Sheriffs are reporting 100% increases in traffic accidents, vandalism, theft, and drug (methamphetamine)-related and alcohol-related incidents resulting from an increase of workers in oil field production. These numbers seem to increase annually. This year, a new Ranger position was added to the Pinedale (Wyoming) area specifically to increase patrols of BLM lands near the 30,000 acres of the Jonah Natural Gas Fields. The area has one of the richest concentrations of natural gas in the United States, presently estimated at more than 14 trillion cubic feet. Population growth in the Pinedale area has skyrocketed in recent years with the energy development boom, bringing to this area the same urban interface problems noted in many other States.

There is also an ongoing effort by Petroleum Engineering Technicians to perform inspections of oil production sites, which include determining if there is any indication of tampering with equilizer valves. This push was initiated by an ongoing investigation near Vernal, Utah, involving the deliberate tampering of equalizer valves.

International Borders

BLM law enforcement personnel continue to work with partner agencies to address a multitude of issues arising along the U.S. borders with both the Republic of Mexico and with Canada. These include human trafficking, drug smuggling, theft of resources, and resource damage, particularly along the southwestern border. Violence committed by those involved with all kinds of smuggling has also increased.

Montana, Idaho, and Washington share a common border with the Canadian Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. The BLM manages about 80 miles of rural lands adjacent to the northern border. A few Rangers and Agents are assigned to patrol and coordinate with other border agencies, including the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency’s Border Patrol and the U.S. Forest Service. BLM officers are very active in their Integrated Border Enforcement Teams. These groups work extensively with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canadian Border Service agencies. Although illegal activity on the northern border pales in comparison to that on the southwestern border, intelligence information from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and, more recently, the Government Accountability Office, suggests that the northern border continues to pose a significant security threat because of the vast, remote areas it adjoins. Incidences of drug and human smuggling, especially west of the Rocky Mountains, continue to occur along the northern border.

The southwestern borderlands are most often defined as those lands about 100 miles north of the border of Mexico. For the BLM, this consists of about 155 miles of land at the border and 3.7 million acres in Arizona, 1.8 million acres in New Mexico, and 3.3 million acres in California. These lands are continually subjected to border zone effects and illegal activities. Human and drug smuggling activities on these public lands have created a hazardous environment for public use and recreation, endangered BLM employees, and caused degradation and destruction of natural resources. Drug smuggling, particularly of processed marijuana, continues to increase. According to statistics from the El Paso Intelligence Center, 111,467 pounds of marijuana were seized by Federal, State, or local agencies on BLM lands from January through September 2007. During this same period, 49,588 undocumented immigrants were apprehended.

BLM law enforcement personnel are committed to assisting agencies from the DHS, as well as other Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies, in dealing with the human and drug smuggling in the borderland areas. It is in the interest of BLM law enforcement to cooperate in responding to these issues, to better protect our employees, visitors, and natural resources on public lands. Law enforcement agreements with County Sheriff’s Offices have been implemented. The BLM and other DOI and Forest Service Law Enforcement Officers are cross-delegated to better assist each other while conducting saturation patrols or drug interdiction operations. The BLM also continues to improve its relations with the Border Patrol in both the resource management and law enforcement arenas. Success with enhanced radio communication is ongoing; BLM Law Enforcement Officers in the field can talk directly to their counterparts from Border Patrol. This capability is critical with the ever-increasing violence in the borderland areas.

Off-Highway Vehicles

Increases in population throughout the West continue to bring more and more visitors to the public lands managed by the BLM. This increase in usage by visitors who may not be familiar with BLM management has led to an increase in off-highway vehicle (OHV) violations, as well as resource damage with user-created routes and vandalism to some historic trails.

High-use recreation areas in each State also continue to be a law enforcement challenge, especially on long holiday weekends and during major events. The management of OHVs in sand dune areas is a primary focus of Law Enforcement Rangers. From the Imperial Sand Dunes and Dumont Dunes of southern California to the ever-popular Sand Mountain in Fallon, Nevada; from the Little Sahara Recreation Area and Coral Pink Sand Dunes in Utah to the St. Anthony Sand Dunes northwest of Idaho Falls, Idaho; and from the North Sand Hills of northern Colorado to the Juniper Dunes of Oregon; the BLM works closely with local law enforcement agencies on patrols, safety, and enforcement, making these areas and events much easier to control. The use of short-term work details throughout the Bureau, as well as continued support from local law enforcement agencies through assistance agreements, has proven invaluable.

The dramatically increased volume of OHV use, combined with attempts by the BLM to regulate use through OHV designations, continues to remain a high priority among the majority of BLM Rangers. Nationwide, 25% of all BLM violations are OHV-oriented. Areas such as the Moab Field Office enforce more than 65% of all BLM misdemeanor violations in the State of Utah. Although BLM Rangers often enforce registration and safety violations (no flags in sand dunes, helmets where required, and other regulations), a large number of violations involve individuals riding cross-country, off designated routes, or riding in closed areas and causing environmental damage.

In some instances, local organized OHV groups have stepped forward to assist in the education of OHV users in promoting responsible recreation use. Many BLM offices are presently updating Resource Management Plans (RMP), which include OHV designations and use recommendations from Rangers. The Grand Junction, Colorado, Office has tried a “zoning” concept in Special Recreation Management Areas to reduce conflicts between mountain bikers and motorized recreation users.

Issues associated with OHVs are of long-term concern and will dominate much of the BLM law enforcement program for years to come.

Wild Horses And Burros

On December 15, 1971, the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act was signed into law. The Congress of the United States declared wild, free-roaming horses and burros living symbols of the historical, pioneer spirit of the West; they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people. Through the Act, the policy of Congress directed the Secretary of the Interior to protect wild horses and burros from capture, branding, harassment, or death; to accomplish this, these animals were tobe considered an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.

The Secretary, through the BLM, has been successful in meeting the mandates of Congress in the management and protection of wild, free-roaming horses and burros. Additionally, the BLM has worked with many advisory groups, volunteers, and professionals in making available excess wild horses and burros to be humanely captured and removed for private maintenance and care by those interested in having their own part of this American legacy.

There have been many revisions to the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, including the 2005 authorization from Congress to allow the Secretary to sell wild horses and burros that were not acquired through the adoption process. In response to concerns about the possibility of these animals going to slaughter, however, attempts are being made to halt the sale authority of these unwanted animals.

The BLM adopts several thousand wild, freeroaming horses and burros annually, with many finding homes in the eastern United States. Since 2000, the BLM has adopted more than 38,000 animals. Some of the many investigations conducted by the BLM include the inhumane treatment and abandonment of wild horses and burros that the public has acquired through the adoption program. Inhumane treatment is identified as any intentional or negligent action or failure to act that causes stress, injury, or undue suffering to a wild horse or burro and is not compatible with animal husbandry practices accepted in the veterinary community.

Other violations investigated are by law enforcement personnel include:

• Willfully removing a wild, free-roaming horse or burro from the public lands without authorization.
• Maliciously causing the death or harassment of any wild, free-roaming horse or burro.
• Processing, or permitting to be processed, the remains of a wild, free-roaming horse or burro into commercial products.
• Selling, directly or indirectly, a wild, freeroaming horse or burro without official title.
• Willful violation of the elements of the adoption Private Maintenance and Care Agreement.

Archaelogical and Paleontological Resources

 The public lands entrusted to the BLM hold some of the most significant evidence of human prehistory and history in the West and Alaska. The BLM’s Law Enforcement Officers have a unique responsibility in trying to protect and maintain the integrity of these long-abandoned archaeological sites and historical landscapes. In 2006, the BLM experienced an increase in looting, destruction, and trafficking in artifacts throughout the country. Fortunately, the BLM has two different Federal laws to use in combating suspects engaged in destructive and trafficking activities. Most prominent is the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) of 1979 (16 U.S.C. 470). Anyone convicted of this Federal statute may be fined as much as $10,000.00 and placed into custody for 1 year. Under the Antiquities Act of 1906 (16 U.S.C. 433), anyone convicted under this Federal statute may be fined $500 and imprisoned for as long as 90 days. In 2006, the BLM celebrated the hundredth anniversary of the Antiquities Act.

The BLM Office of Law Enforcement (OLES) Director considers archaeological protection one of his main priorities and understands the importance these sites have in the scientific community. Historical sites and landscapes provide invaluable insights into the ways human activities and the environment are linked together through time—how seemingly minor cultural practices can contribute to substantial environmental change. Discovering, studying, and understanding the evidence of past human influences on the land can give the BLM, professional researchers, and the public not only critically important insights into the past, but guidelines for appropriately managing and protecting these sites today and in the future.

Along with the archaeological law enforcement effort, OLES is also heavily involved with the protection of fossils on lands administered by the BLM. Paleontological resources constitute a fragile and nonrenewable scientific record of the history of life on earth. Once damaged, destroyed, or improperly collected, their scientific and educational value may be greatly reduced or lost forever. In addition to scientific, educational, and recreational values, paleontological resources can be used to inform land managers about interrelations between the biological and geological components of ecosystems over significant periods. More varieties of fossils can be found on the lands administered by the BLM than on lands of any other Federal or State agency. Fossils are the remains and traces of once-living organisms, preserved in rocks of the Earth’s crust. They convey the story of origins and endings of extraordinary varieties of ocean-dwelling, freshwater, and terrestrial creatures, played out over nearly 4 billion years of Earth’s history.

Because of the remote areas that paleontological resources are often located in, fossils have been a target for thieves and looters. The plundering and destruction of cultural and paleontological treasures has become a highly lucrative business involving a network of looters, expert dealers in stolen property, and opportunistic buyers in the United States and throughout the world. In the past, the BLM has been able to prosecute illegal collectors and traffickers under 18 U.S.C. 641, theft of government property. In 2006, BLM law enforcement personnel were involved in drafting the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, similar to the ARPA statute of 1979, which will provide the BLM with a new and unique means for deterring and detecting individuals engaged in the illegal trafficking of priceless fossils obtained from public lands. The bill was reintroduced to the Senate in October 2007, and OLES is hopeful the bill will be passed.

Timber and Forest Products

The theft of timber on public land continues to occur nationwide because of the high monetary value of timber. Timber is stolen for both the production of lumber products and for firewood. The theft of other forest products (salal, juniper boughs, moss, and other tree and plant species) has steadily increased across the West and remains an ongoing criminal violation on public land. The theft is due, in part, to the extensive commercialization, demand, and needs associated with the floral industry.

When suspects illegally take timber and other forest products, they can also cause the destruction of other natural features and of Native American cultural resources. Since 2000, the BLM in Oregon and Washington States has investigated 1,179 incidents of timber, firewood, and forest product thefts.