A man who had been issued mandatory appearance violation notices for use or occupancy of National Forest System lands for residential purposes and expired vehicle registration on a camp trailer faced a Federal judge at the U.S. Magistrate Court last week.
The defendant pleaded guilty and was given a $2,000 fine and 3-year ban from being on the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The defendant had been previously warned and cited before being issued the mandatory appearances by the same officer.
Use of occupancy of public lands for residential purposes can diminish opportunities for the recreating public and create resource damage as the vegetation and other resources in the locations being occupied are often not given time to rest between use of the sites.
It should be noted that use or occupancy of National Forest System land for residential purposes, and exceeding the stay limit, are two different regulations.
