Are we seeing human subsistence living coming back to our public lands?

[LeeRevell]

Never heard of a violent encounter here either. A buddy riding his bike on the forest roads once saw the illegals picking the berries I mentioned, but they scattered and hid, and he rode away. They had dropped their sacks. By the time he got to where he felt safe to call in the cops (he knows the top deputy for this area personally) the pickers had been loaded up and gone.

There are loads of wild blueberries growing here too, in the proper season, but you have to be careful of the bears. It's one of their favorite foods.

 

[LeeRevell]

I keep a compact fishing outfit in the van too. Lots of large lakes around here, and many have small docks or platforms to fish from.
But yep, they could get fished out if everybody did it!

 

[highdesertranger]

well as far as the illegal growers go. I have some first hand stories. in Nevada we just got to one of our favorite spots as the local leos and DEA was wrapping up a major bust. watched the helio hauling load after load out of there. another time in Nevada we were awoken by a helio real low, it sounded like it landed real close, it did. we rode down the road about 1/2 mile, there was a bulldozer (to clear a landing spot), a water truck(to keep the dust down), and 20 leo vehicles with at least 4 leos per vehicle. I asked one what was going on he just mumbled something and walked away I didn't ask any more questions. pretty soon the vehicles with most of the leos took off up the canyon. a short while later the rest of the leos got in the chopper and took off. we went back to camp a few hours later here comes the chopper loaded up with pot, made several trips. this went on most of the afternoon. then just as fast as they got there they were gone. another time on a neighboring ranch there was a large bust of a growing operation. the owner was getting up in years a didn't patrol the property like you have to around here. well after the leos were done the rancher let us go check it out, what a score, I got all kinds of camping equipment, tools, I even scored some ammo and magazines for guns I owned. this gave me some insight to how things ran. there was a main camp where food prep was done right next to the grove. there were several look out camps at strategic locations, these were armed 2 man look outs. I know for a fact two of these operations were cartel probably all three. on our ranch we have found small time stuff 1 or 2 plants here and there. I used to just destroy the plants, nowadays I would call the leos. highdesertranger

 

[surfer]

I was so inspiringly heartened by PBS'S EARTH A New Wild | Plains http://video.pbs.org/video/2365416177/ video!! It shows some ways how both industrialized & native humans can coexist with & even help restore the wild. It reminds me of a primitive ways school, I believe in Utah, describing how a plant he & his students harvested over the years had improved in quality & quantity; describing how humans can/should live with nature. If I find the link I'll post it latter.

All of the series are worth watching http://video.pbs.org/program/earth-new-wild/episodes/.

 

[surfer]

gsfish
"anyone with a line and a hook can fish"

Hahaha, I'd starve if I had to live off fishing. Went fishing with 4 others for a week. All got their daily limit but me. Zero fish till the last day, just as we were leaving I got one. Not much better luck with gardening. Though I think they'd be excellent skills to have, I'd probably have the same luck with forest gardening, hunting and gathering. I've done a little of what I call feral gardening. Most things I've planted grow though puny & tastes funny so the soil must be real bad.

 

[surfer]

highdesertranger

Great illegal growers story. Thanks for sharing!