I'm in a small but beautiful LTVA. There are 3 rigs in here with nobody home.. for weeks.I've spoken to the hosts about this, about what I perceive as people using this place for cheap storage. They have cited no rules about not actually occupying a campsite, nor do they really seem to care. They said one couple had an 'emergency' at home, was supposed to be back by Christmas, and another is on a cruise. The third.. they don't know. I don't have a problem with 'storage' per se, but these rigs are in the nicest spots in the place. It looks to me like they've created their own reservation system by simply dumping their rigs here, only to return whenever they feel like it.I know I wouldn't feel right about doing this. Thought I'd get your take on this before elevating this to the local BLM office.

New Mexico requires owner to be on-site once every 24 hours. Good rule in my opinion.

Contact the appropriate regional office of BLM's Law Enforcement Desk. Tell them you want to report some long term unoccupied RV's being stored in an LTVA and that the camp host is not responsive. The fact that the host doesn't know who owns one of those RV's indicates they are not doing their job. If it gets the host in trouble, so be it.If the owners did in fact obtain permission from BLM to be absent in excess of 12 days, the appropriate regional office will have that on file. If they just upped and went away or the host is kinda turning a blind eye, let BLM's enforcement arm handle it.

Surprize, wait till you find out those rigs are the hosts family or friends. Free storage, dont have to set up rig or drive it...already set up in best spots.

Elevate it. I believe it’s inappropriate storage on public land.

LTVA "storage" | Good Sam Community

2oldman
Explorer II
Jan 08, 2020
Naio wrote:
I expect it will make your relationship with the host pretty uncomfortable if you elevate it.
That is my concern. I come here several times a year. I'm not sure this is a big enough deal to elevate it. Not that I need any kind of relationship with the hosts, but I do like being allowed in.
Naio
Explorer II
Jan 08, 2020
It's a shame about them being in the best spots.

One thing you could do is keep a written record, in case you want to notify the higher-ups at some future point. It seems like people are more impressed by that kind of thing then just by your word that it was several weeks. You could get a calendar, or a little notebook, and by each date write "still vacant" when they are...
2oldman
Explorer II
Jan 08, 2020
Naio wrote:
keep a written record, in case you want to notify the higher-ups at some future point.
Yeah, that's good. I probably shouldn't have said anything to the hosts, because it's obvious they aren't doing (what I suspect should be) their jobs.
Naio
Explorer II
Jan 08, 2020
Well, how else were you to know what was going on? for all you knew the host had a family emergency of their own and hadn't been paying attention, and would hop right on it when you said something :-).

But it is too bad, of course, that now they know you are the person who has a problem with it and is willing to speak up.
2oldman
Explorer II
Jan 10, 2020
Lady next door came home, runs generator for hours, leaves yappy dog in C. Guess it's time to go.
Naio
Explorer II
Jan 10, 2020
I'm sorry that didn't work out very well. Better luck next year!
was_butnotnow
Explorer
Jan 12, 2020
We are in northern Montana at the Fresno Res. on Rte 2 on BLM land high up over the Res. and all around were campers that looked they had been there forever. Later a game warden stopped by and we asked him what the deal was, He said the BLM office is so far away they never get out here so the locals know they can just leave their units without any hassles. We got the last decent spot.
Wergeled10
Explorer
Nov 18, 2020
thanks
Vette_Racer
Explorer
Nov 19, 2020
Last year at Imperial Dam LTVA there was 2 campers across from us that were sitting vacant the entire time we were there. According to a camper down the road they were using the site as a place to keep their trailer for the winter as it was cheaper to pay for a season pass at the BLM than to pay for storage in Yuma. Imagine that! FYI, don't know if that was true or not, just what we were told.

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