ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST : Cleanup of Ousted Miner’s Land to Cost Public $15,000
A man forced to vacate a gold claim in Angeles National Forest when a court ruled he was using it to live rent-free has left a mess to be cleaned up at taxpayers’ expense, the Forest Service said.
Billy Joe Bagwell vacated a 4.25-acre claim but left behind half a house, tons of dated mining equipment, batteries, paraffin, steel beams, a truck and “a lot of trash,” said Steve Baer, a Forest Service resource officer. Federal officials are using the appeals court ruling that kicked him out in other cases of miners living at their claim sites.
U.S. Forest Service officials estimate it will cost more than $15,000 to remove the mining equipment and other debris from Bagwell’s 20-year stint on the forest property and restore the land.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
