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U.S. Criminal Code ("Title 18, United
States Code, Chapter 91-Public
Lands")

• Act of June 25, 1948 (Ch. 645, 62 Stat. 787, as amended by 63 Stat. 95; 18 U.S.C. 1851-1861, 1863)

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Sec. 1851. Whoever mines or removes coal of any

character, whether anthracite, bituminous, or lignite, from beds or deposits in land of, or reserved to the United States, with intent wrongfully to appropriate, sell, or dispose of the same, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more that one year, or both.

This section shall not interfere with any right or privilege conferred by existing laws of the United States. (18 U.S.C. 1851)

TIMBER REMOVED OR TRANSPORTED

Sec. 1852. Whoever cuts, or wantonly destroys any timber growing on the public lands of the United States; or Whoever removes any timber from said public lands, with intent to export or to dispose of the same; or

Whoever being the owner, master, pilot, operator, or consignee of any vessel, motor vehicle, or aircraft or the owner, director, or agent of any railroad, knowingly transports any timber so cut or removed from said lands, or lumber manufactured there from-

Shall be fined not more that $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

This section shall not prevent any miner or

agriculturist from clearing his land in the ordinary working of his mining claim, or in the preparation of his farm for tillage, or from taking the timber necessary to support his improvements, or the taking of timber for the use of the United States; nor shall it interfere with or take away any right or privilege under any existing law of the United States to cut or remove timber from any public lands. (18 U.S.C. 1852)

TREES CUT OR INJURED

Sec. 1853. Whoever unlawfully cuts, or wantonly injures or destroys any tree growing, standing, or being upon any land of the United States which, in pursuance of law, has been reserved or purchased by the United States for

any public use, or upon any Indian reservation, or lands belonging to or occupied by any tribe of Indians under the authority of the United States, or any Indian allotment while the title to the same shall be held in trust by the Government, or while the same shall remain inalienable by the allottee without the consent of the United States, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. (18 U.S.C. 1853)

TREES BOXED FOR PITCH OR TURPENTINE

Sec. 1854. Whoever cuts, chips, chops, or boxes any tree upon any lands belonging to the United States, or upon any lands covered by or embraced in any unperfected settlement, application, filing, entry, selection, or location, made under any law of the United States, for the purpose of obtaining from such tree any pitch, turpentine, or other substance; or

Whoever buys, trades for, or in any manner acquires any pitch, turpentine, or other substance, or any article or commodity made from any such pitch, turpentine, or other substance, with knowledge that the same has been so unlawfully obtained-

Shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. (18 U.S.C. 1854)

TIMBER SET AFIRE

Sec. 1855. Whoever, willfully and without authority, sets on fire any timber, underbrush, or grass or other inflammable material upon the public domain or upon any lands owned or leased by or under the partial, concurrent, or exclusive jurisdiction of the United States, or under contract for purchase or for the acquisition of which condemnation proceedings have been instituted, or upon any Indian reservation or lands belonging to or occupied by any tribe or group of Indians under authority of the United States, or upon any Indian allotment while the title of the same shall be held in trust by the Government, or while the same shall remain inalienable by the allottee without the consent of the United States, shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

This section shall not apply in the case of a fire set by an allottee in the reasonable exercise of his proprietary rights in the allotment. (18 U.S.C. 1855)

FIRES LEFT UNATTENDED AND UNEXTINGUISHED

Sec. 1856. Whoever, having kindled or caused to be kindled, a fire in or near any forest, timber, or other inflammable material upon any lands owned, controlled or leased by, or under the partial, concurrent, or exclusive

jurisdiction of the United States, including lands under contract for purchase or for the acquisition of which condemnation proceedings have been instituted, and including any Indian reservation or lands belonging to or occupied by any tribe or group of Indians under the authority of the United States, or any Indian allotment while the title to the same is held in trust by the United States, or while the same shall remain inalienable by the allottee without the consent of the United States, leaves said fire without totally extinguishing the same, or permits or suffers said fire to burn or spread beyond his control, or leaves or suffers said fire to burn unattended, shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both. (18 U.S.C. 1856)

FENCES DESTROYED; LIVESTOCK ENTERING

Sec. 1857. Whoever knowingly and unlawfully breaks, opens, or destroys any gate, fence, hedge, or wall inclosing any lands of the United States reserved or purchased for any public use; or

Whoever drives any cattle, horses, hogs, or other livestock upon any such lands for the purposes of destroying the grass or trees on said lands, or where they may destroy the said grass or trees; or

Whoever knowingly permits his cattle, horses, hogs, or other livestock to enter through any such inclosure upon any such lands of the United States, where such cattle, horses, hogs or other livestock may or can destroy the grass or trees or other property of the United States on the said lands-

Shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

This section shall not apply to unreserved public lands. (18 U.S.C. 1857)

SURVEY MARKS DESTROYED OR REMOVED

Sec. 1858. Whoever willfully destroys, defaces, changes, or removes to another place any section corner, quarter-section corner, or meander post, on any Government line of survey, or willfully cuts down any witness tree or any tree blazed to mark the line of a Government survey, or willfully defaces, changes, or removes any monument or bench mark of any Government survey, shall be fined not more than $250 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both. (18 U.S.C. 1858)

SURVEYS INTERRUPTED

Sec. 1859. Whoever, by threats or force, interrupts, hinders or prevents the surveying of the public lands, or of

any private land claim which has been or may be confirmed by the United States, by the persons authorized to survey the same in conformity with the instructions of the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, shall be fined not more than $3,000 or imprisoned not more than three years, or both. (18 U.S.C. 1859)

BIDS AT LAND SALES

Sec. 1860. Whoever bargains, contracts, or agrees, or attempts to bargain, contract, or agree with another that such other shall not bid upon or purchase any parcel of lands of the United States offered at public sale; or Whoever, by intimidation, combination, or unfair management, hinders, prevents, or attempts to hinder or prevent, any person from bidding upon or purchasing any tract of land so offered for sale-

Shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. (18 U.S.C. 1860)

DECEPTION OF PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS

Sec. 1861. Whoever, for a reward paid or promised to him in that behalf, undertakes to locate for an intending purchaser, settler, or entryman any public lands of the United States subject to disposition under the public-land laws, and who willfully and falsely represents to such intending purchaser, settler, or entryman that any tract of land shown to him is public land of the United States subject to sale, settlement, or entry, or that it is of a particular surveyed description, with intent to deceive the person to whom such representation is made, or who, in reckless disregard of the truth, falsely represents to any such person that any tract of land shown to him is public land of the United States subject to sale, settlement, or entry, or that it is of a particular surveyed description, thereby deceiving the person to whom such representation is made, shall be fined not more than $300 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. (18 U.S.C. 1861)

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Sec. 1863. Whoever, without lawful authority or permission, goes upon any national-forest land while it is closed to the public pursuant to lawful regulation of the Secretary of Agriculture, shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

(18 U.S.C. 1863)

Assessment Work

• Act of June 21, 1949 (Ch. 232, 63 Stat. 214; 30 U.S.C. 28b-e)

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the performance of not less than $100 worth of labor or the making of improvements aggregating such amount, which labor or improvements are required under the provisions of section 2324 of the Revised Statutes of the United States to be made during each year, may be deferred by the Secretary of the Interior as to any mining claim or group of claims in the United States upon the submission by the claimant of evidence satisfactory to the Secretary that such mining claim or group of claims is surrounded by lands over which a right-of-way for the performance of such assessment work has been denied or is in litigation or is in the process of acquisition under State law or that other legal impediments exist which affect the right of the claimant to enter upon the surface of such claim or group of claims or to gain access to the boundaries thereof. (30 U.S.C. 28b)

Sec. 2. The period for which said deferment may be granted shall end when the conditions justifying deferment have been removed: Provided, That the initial period shall not exceed one year but may be renewed for a further period of one year if justifiable conditions exist: Provided further, That the relief available under this Act is in addition to any relief available under any other Act of Congress with respect to mining claims. (30 U.S.C. 28c) Sec. 3. All deferred assessment work shall be performed not later than the end of the assessment year next subsequent to the removal or cessation of the causes for deferment or the expiration of any deferments granted under this Act and shall be in addition to the annual assessment work required by law in such year. (30 U.S.C. 28d)

Sec. 4. Claimant shall file or record or cause to be filed or recorded in the office where the notice or certificate of location of such claim or group of claims is filed or recorded, a notice to the public of claimant's petition to the Secretary of the Interior for deferment under this Act, and of the order or decision disposing of such petition. (30 U.S.C. 28e)

Sec. 5. Notwithstanding the provisions of any Act of Congress to the contrary, any person who hereafter prospects for, mines, or removes by strip or open pit mining methods, any minerals from any land included in a stock raising or

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