What is the `` corner lock problem of land '' in which public land and private land intersect and there is a public land that cannot be reached without passing through private land?



In October 2021, four hunters were indicted for trespassing on private property in Wyoming, USA. However, these hunters did not set foot on the private property in question, but only moved from public land to public land. The web media onX for those who enjoy outdoor recreation discusses the `` land corner rock problem '' in the western United States that caused this strange situation.

onX Corner-Locked Report: The Impact and Ethics of Corner Crossing | onX

https://www.onxmaps.com/onx-access-initiatives/corner-crossing-report

In the western part of the Americas, as a result of land deals and coincidences over the past two centuries, there are areas where public and private land intersect in a complex manner. Earth)' exists. For example, in the map below, the area painted yellow is public land, and the area where the ground is visible is private land. If four sides that touch public land are private land, then to travel from one public land to a point-touching public land, you must pass through the adjacent private land. In this case, anyone passing through could be prosecuted for trespassing if the private property owner claimed the right.



Although it is rare for private and public land to intersect in a clean square like a chessboard or checkered pattern, there are places in the western United States where public and private land intersect in a complicated manner, as shown below. In the diagram below, public land shaded red cannot pass through to nearby public land without passing through private land.



The four hunters, who were charged with trespassing on private property in October 2021, pulled an 'A'-shaped ladder from public property to move from one public property at Corner Rock to another. Said it was on public land. The four climbed up and down this ladder and moved from public land to public land, but they were accused of trespassing because they passed through private airspace.

However, there is no specific law that makes it illegal to pass through private airspace when traveling from point-to-point public land to public land, and decisions remain largely at the discretion of local law enforcement agencies and district courts. am. While onX believes that publicly accessible land is important to those who enjoy outdoor recreation, we also recognize the importance of private property rights and the existence of hunters who annoy landowners, We acknowledge that the concerns people have are legitimate.

According to a survey by onX, there are a total of 8.3 million acres (about 34,000 square kilometers) of 'corner rock public land' in the western United States.



Especially in Wyoming, where there are many corner rock public lands, 2.44 million acres (about 98,000 square kilometers) of public lands are corner locked. This is followed by 1.93 million acres in Nevada and 1.33 million acres in Arizona.



onX points out that managing Corner Rock's public land is difficult not only for public agencies, but also for ranchers and companies that own surrounding private land. For this reason, we recommend that public institutions make deals with owners of adjacent private land and take measures such as securing public land routes that can access public land at Corner Rock. In fact, in Wyoming and Montana, it is said that unlocking corner locks by public programs is progressing.

in Note, Posted by log1h_ik