Department of the Interior Extends Public Land Order Withdrawing Portion of National Forest System Land from Mineral Location and Entry Under Federal Mining Laws

March 2022

The Tie Hack Campground (“THCG”), located approximately fifteen miles from Buffalo, Wyoming, is a campsite within the Bighorn National Forest. On February 23, 2022, with the issuance of Public Land Order (“PLO”) 7906, the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) announced the extension of PLO 7513—a 2002 PLO withdrawing 20.90 acres of National Forest System land, located within the THCG, from location and entry under federal mining laws—for an additional twenty-year period. Based upon this extension the THCG acreage covered by PLOs 7906 and 7513 will now be withdrawn from location and entry under federal mining laws until at least February 20, 2042.

The United States is comprised of just under 2.3 billion acres of land; twenty-eight percent of that land—approximately 640 million acres—belongs to the American public. These lands are often referred to as Public Lands. Management of the Public Lands is based upon the principles of multiple use and sustained yield. Some of the primary Public Land uses include, but are not limited to, recreation, preservation, and natural resource development.

Under federal mining laws, mining claims and sites may be located within 19 states: Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The management of subsurface minerals within these states is the responsibility of BLM. While federal law allows mineral location on all Public Lands open to mineral entry, mining claims may not be located on lands which have been withdrawn from the same. Many areas have been withdrawn from mineral entry, including National Parks; National Monuments; American Indian reservations; wildlife protection areas; certain lands withdrawn for reclamation projects and power site development; and military installations. Prior to assessing the viability of any potential mining project on federal public lands, project proponents must first determine whether those lands are open to mineral location.

Based upon the extension of Public Land Order (“PLO”) 7513, mineral location and entry within the withdrawn 20.90 acres of the THCG will be prohibited for at least another twenty years.

For more information on the Tie Hack Campground, click HERE.

For more information on Public Land Orders 7906 and 7513, click HERE and HERE.

For more Information on Department of the Interior and BLM withdrawals, click HERE.

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