Tyler Fouss is the new law enforcement ranger for the BLM's Tres Rios field office.
Fouss has been a BLM ranger in the Montrose area, for the Moab District, and at Grand Staircase National Monument.
He met with the Dolores Star to discuss his job and its challenges.
"My whole law enforcement career started with the BLM," he said. "I've always had a big desire to protect the public lands we all enjoy."
He and other rangers patrol BLM lands across several counties - a vast district stretching from Dove Creek to Cortez, Durango to Silverton. Fouss also patrols Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
"We keep very busy, and get to see a lot of beautiful country along the way," he said.
Duties run the gamut, from public education and volunteering, to patrolling, investigating crimes and making arrests.
Protecting natural and cultural resources is a key focus of Fouss' job. He spends time acclimating the public to new BLM rules, and also to the proper protocols for viewing ruins and artifacts.
One new rule is in the Sand Canyon/East Rock area of the monument, where hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers must now stay on designated trails.
"It is a new rule, and there is a learning curve so we're doing a lot of public education," Fouss said, adding that issuing warnings is the next step.
Logging, artifact collection
The policy of no firewood gathering on the monument has been in place for years, but is still being violated.
"It is an ongoing problem we're working to correct," Fouss said. "Last year we ticketed people, and now there is another significant area where illegal firewood gathering is taking place."
Also, a generational shift in how the public views surface artifacts is still unfolding, he said. Older adults recall when arrowhead hunting and pot sherd collecting was the norm, but those activities are illegal.
"It is considered theft from public lands," Fouss said. "Look at it, photograph it, and leave it where you found it for future generations to enjoy."
Motorized recreation
OHV use is dramatically increasing nationwide and on local BLM lands. In the Silverton area BLM rangers have stepped up enforcement of laws requiring OHVs to stay on designated roads. The Alpine Loop from Silverton to Lake City and back gets 300,000 visitors per year traveling through sensitive high-elevation tundra.
To help, the BLM partnered with San Juan County sheriff to train and hire Alpine Rangers who also patrol and enforce the OHV rules.
"Our presence up there has dramatically reduced the off-road travel going on," Fouss said. "It took a lot of enforcement early on, and now the public knows where they're allowed to go and that we are monitoring."
Illegal dumping at Cash Canyon is also a continuing problem locally, Fouss said.
"We take it seriously and will cite violators. The judge can make them pay restitution for clean up costs," he said.
Fouss emphasized that BLM rangers have a lot of discretion when deciding to issue tickets for violations, depending on their severity.
"Sometimes public education will gain us the most ground," he said. "We often take the approach of educating on why we have laws protecting cultural and natural resources."
The BLM relies on the general public to report suspicious behavior. They also encourage reporting of significant artifacts that are found or if they see that a ruin is threatened.
The dinosaur case
Fouss recalls a case he investigated near Moab, Utah involving a person who stole a fossilized dinosaur track from the Sand Flats area. The 190 million year old track was a popular site for tourists and guides.
The investigation was given a boost when an anonymous tip provided additional information that led to the conviction of Jared Ehlers, who reportedly threw the track off the Dewey Bridge into the Colorado River. Dive teams were dispatched but it was never recovered.
"The BLM offered a reward and local outfitters added to the pot bringing it up to $9,000," Fouss said. "Thanks to a member of the public coming forward, we got a conviction."
