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Free Land Holders land dispute near Chicken Creek north of Mancos causes uproar, locals begin removing miles of barbed wire fence

A man is walking away, carrying two large coils up barbed wire. He's in a forest on a dirt trail. He's wearing boots, blue jeans, a gray shirt, and a baseball cap.
Clark Adomaitis
/
KSUT/KSJD
Mancos residents removed barbed wire fencing north of Mancos, Colorado in the San Juan National Forest. The fencing was posted around a 1400-acre area of land that the Free Land Holders are claiming.

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.”

A man wearing sunglasses and a cap is working to remove a fence post in a forest. He's holding a large orange tool and a green metal fence post.
Clark Adomaitis
/
KSUT/KSJD
Brad Finch, a volunteer with Chicken Creek Cross Country Ski, removes fence posts in the San Juan National Forest.

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.

The Free Land Holders released a proclamation on October 9.
The Free Land Holders
The Free Land Holders released a proclamation on October 9, posting the printed documents in Cortez and Mancos.

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.”

About 5 coils of barbed wire lie on the forest ground. Large trees and green shrubs surround the neat coils.
Clark Adomaitis
/
KSUT/KSJD
Coils of barbed wire lie on the San Juan National Forest ground. Concerned residents of Mancos and private landowners removed fencing near Chicken Creek Road that was installed by the Free Land Holders.

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.

Clark Adomaitis is a shared radio reporter for KSUT in Ignacio, CO, and KSJD in Cortez, CO for the Voices from the Edge of the Colorado Plateau project.