On TSW, we tend to read and write about controversies on federal land. So maybe sometimes we overlook the fact that most people get along quite well doing the numerous activities that folks do on National Forest and BLM lands. And the fall is a special time, with hunters and cone collectors added to the mix.
I was driving on Hwy 50 in Nevada (one of my favorites) by the Bob Scott campground and found two Austin-Tonopah Ranger District Forest Service employees cleaning the bathrooms at the campground (shout-out to the District!) on a relatively quiet day.
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The two forests have been administratively joined and managed as a single body since 1995, and only a fraction of that land touches the Las Vegas area. In fact, with an area of 6.3 million acres, the Humboldt-Toiyabe is the largest U.S. National Forest in the lower 48 states.
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Unfortunately, Forests across the Intermountain Region are involved in large-scale Pinyon-Juniper deforestation projects. Also unfortunately, a lot of the commercial pine nut picking is done by shady operations & there is a lot of illegal picking. Here’s a recent Pine Nut related human trafficking story out of Utah:
https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/arrests/human-trafficking-charges-filed-against-pine-nut-harvesting-operation-in-iron-county/article_d1d2fdd8-72c6-11ef-8617-bbbc5f20b1d2.html
Thanks for the link, Katie! The report wasn’t clear about where the collecting was going on (land ownership) and this sentence
” large-scale operations require a permit and are subject to state regulations.” I know the feds have regulations on federal land, but does the state also have regulations? Or just on state land?
Do you know?
I don’t know for sure. 25 lbs. is the limit for “personal use” vs. commercial use/picking on both BLM and USFS (and apparently NPS lands at Great Basin Park, too – (saw that at another link). A 2020 Agency Press release:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/htnf/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD807293 . Since the HTNF Bridgeport Ranger District mentioned at the link is in California, it sounds like it may be a federal 25 lb. personal use limit???
I do know that I’ve been told by a person who sells pine nuts on-line (and who had long tried to get BLM to change its PJ forest killing policies) that the pine nut picking operations don’t stick up for the trees because many are shady pickers, operations often involve Mormon polygamists from Mexico, and much illegal picking takes place.
Another article on the human trafficking case: https://gephardtdaily.com/local/dayer-lebaron-wife-arrested-in-iron-county-for-alleged-human-trafficking/
It will be interesting to see what happens with that case, and if the feds are starting to crack down.
Now we are at Ward Mountain campground near Ely. Pine nuts everywhere! I can collect a handful in a minute!