In the remote wilderness of the San Juan National Forest, about 10 miles north of Mancos, Colorado, private landowners, cattle ranchers, and outdoor enthusiasts have united. On a Thursday afternoon, over 20 community members took down barbed wire fencing blocking over 1,400 acres of public land.
“It's enclosing about 1400 acres of public land, and it was erected within just a few days. And so we're taking down the wire, the four strands of barbed wire that could ultimately harm wildlife and also block recreation here from the public,” said Borchers.
Ryan Borchers resides in Mancos, Colorado, and owns land surrounded by the National Forest. He says Mancos residents cherish the public land. He uses the land for mountain biking and skiing and owns a piece of land adjacent to the national forest.
"You can get up into this beautiful ponderosa pine forest with undergrowth of oak, juniper, pinyon,” said Borchers. “It's unbroken tracks of land, of public land, which is really owned by the entire American public.”
The fencing was put up earlier this week by members of the so-called Free Land Holders. Patrick Leroy Pipkin, a survivor of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, leads the group. Warren Jeffs, the President of FLDS serving life in prison for sexually assaulting minors, used to own a 60-acre parcel of land north of Mancos. That plot changed ownership, and Pipkin has co-owned it since 2020.
The group, which says it isn’t associated with FLDS or the Mormon Church, claims ownership of an additional 1400 acres of adjacent National Forest Service land. It cites treaties from the 1800s to back up its assertions. The agency disputed the claim and told the group to remove the fencing.
Patrick Pipkin and the Free Land Holders released a Proclamation on Wednesday, stating they won’t obstruct any walking paths, bicycle and horse trails, snowmobile trails, or waterways.
Brad Finch is a resident of Mancos, Colorado, and a volunteer with Chicken Creek Cross Country Ski. He’s been helping maintain 13 miles of ski trails in the San Juan National Forest. He’s concerned about the effects on wildlife and livestock grazing.
“It’s impossible for fawns and elk calves to cross this fence,” says Finch. “The does and cow elk can easily jump these fences. Their offspring are trapped behind the fences with no way to get through other than really injuring themselves.”
Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin observed over 20 people removing the barbed wire fencing on Thursday afternoon.
“I can't stop anything. It's not up to me to do anything. I'm just here to keep the peace and document. That's all be in a report to the Forest Service,” said Nowlin.
Sheriff Nowlin said the situation is ultimately a civil, not criminal, issue that needs to be resolved in court. He says removing the barbed wire is okay, but he encourages passionate community members not to remove or damage fence posts.
The U.S. Forest Service was not present at the fence removal on Thursday, nor at the information session, Sheriff Nowlin gave at Boyle Park in Mancos on Thursday. Patrick Pipkin and the Free Land Holders declined an interview request.