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In the early 1980s I recommended Tecopa for interpretation as an excellent interpretive mining site. Instead the BLM ignored my recommendations and instead has recently co-opted my book (without the recommendations) and posted it on their abandoned mine lands website. See for example:
I tried emailing this to the BLM and their webpage refused to send it..
Until 12 noon today, when their website came back up. You can leave feedback to the BLM to encourage them to include ALL of Desert Fever here:
I am concerned that Desert Fever, copyrighted by myself, Gary Shumway and Larry Vredenburgh is being used (without the recommendations I made to the BLM in 1980 to preserve mining history) on a webpage promoting the closure of abandoned mine lands. Such use in my legal opinion violates the letter and the spirit of copyright law and unfairly associates me with BLM efforts to erase and eradicate western american mining history. I am actively engaged in promoting the interpretation of western american mining history and opposed to closing mine lands by backfilling and the eradication of historic mining structures that are mislabeled as public nuisances. Your inclusion of my intellectual property on a webpage encouraging the public to treat mining features as hazards to be eliminated is offensive and undermines my reputation and interests in promoting the safe exploration research and interpretation of mining history.
Please take every effort to include the chapter on preserving our mining heritage in your version of Desert Fever as posted on the BLM website.
Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated. The whole message of Desert Fever was that mining history deserves to be interpreted and respected, not erased and backfilled.
To the extent my name and work is associated with efforts to discourage the exploration of mining lands and "fixing" shafts by backfilling them, I must protest and ask that you provide the balance by including the missing chapter on preserving our mining heritage so that my reputation and standing within the mining history community does not suffer any further damage from association with government efforts to close the books on mining history.
Sincerely,
Russell D. Hartill, JD
I tried emailing this to the BLM and their webpage refused to send it..
Until 12 noon today, when their website came back up. You can leave feedback to the BLM to encourage them to include ALL of Desert Fever here:I am concerned that Desert Fever, copyrighted by myself, Gary Shumway and Larry Vredenburgh is being used (without the recommendations I made to the BLM in 1980 to preserve mining history) on a webpage promoting the closure of abandoned mine lands. Such use in my legal opinion violates the letter and the spirit of copyright law and unfairly associates me with BLM efforts to erase and eradicate western american mining history. I am actively engaged in promoting the interpretation of western american mining history and opposed to closing mine lands by backfilling and the eradication of historic mining structures that are mislabeled as public nuisances. Your inclusion of my intellectual property on a webpage encouraging the public to treat mining features as hazards to be eliminated is offensive and undermines my reputation and interests in promoting the safe exploration research and interpretation of mining history.
Please take every effort to include the chapter on preserving our mining heritage in your version of Desert Fever as posted on the BLM website.
Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated. The whole message of Desert Fever was that mining history deserves to be interpreted and respected, not erased and backfilled.
To the extent my name and work is associated with efforts to discourage the exploration of mining lands and "fixing" shafts by backfilling them, I must protest and ask that you provide the balance by including the missing chapter on preserving our mining heritage so that my reputation and standing within the mining history community does not suffer any further damage from association with government efforts to close the books on mining history.
Sincerely,
Russell D. Hartill, JD
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