i was almost arrested for.........apples.

there's an old homestead nearby, lots of fruit trees. apples, pears, cherries, a good assortment. it is now national forest property. i hike back up there and walk the dog. there's old spanish aquaducts that feed all the trees. beautiful spot, nobody ever goes up there. the only thing i've noticed that eats the fruit are black bears and deer. i'm sure some birds and others do also. anyhow, it's about harvest time, everything is just about ripe and sweet.
i brought a small day pack with me, filled it with a good assortment of fruit, and was walking down the mountain munching on an apple, when a forest service cop and 2 local sheriffs stopped me at the trailhead before i entered my car.
since i was eating an apple they actually asked me what was in my pack, 'fruit, officer, and a jug of water'.
i thought he was kidding when he asked to see.
'sure, go ahead', i know this was a mistake.
then they explained to me that resources in the area are not allowed to be removed.
he got pissed when i laughed, and put me in cuffs.
i asked him if i missed a sign somewhere explaining this, and did not get an answer.
after about an hour of this they let me go.
i asked the officer why it is better to let all that good fruit go to waste instead of eating it, and received no answer.
i've been doing this for years, literally, and this was the first encounter like this i've experienced.
i am now completely convinced there is a conspiracy to get us to stop living off the land in any way.
i'm heading back up tomarrow, let them arrest me for a pack full of fruit.

a homestead....so like a park? forest preserve? not private property right?
well I had heard that the UN is in control of all the nation's parks so maybe this is one of their "rules"

no ,way old, it's completely forest service according to the map. none of the officers said a word about private property or trespassing.
nothing is marked in any way.

We were riding horses onetime and found an old homestead. The giveaway was the old fruit trees.

Once you figure that you've found an old small orchard you then can look around for traces of the old buildings.

It's pretty interesting.

reply to post by Wildbob77


your right on the money. there's old stone foundations, and a couple of dilapidated out bouldings. the only thing you missed is the really good chance of a fresh water source. this area has lots of springs, and the ancient aquaducts go back to the days of the spanish, even older than the homestead itself. there is a law here in new mexico that basically states that it is illegal to change the old water courses in any way.

Rubbertramp, I can understand your frustration at the idea of all that fruit going to waste. What you did probably would have zero impact on the wildlife there. What if 10 or 100 people all decided to do what you did?
Going back again is IMO not a very thoughtful thing to do. They let you go, didn't they? I believe they did so with the expectation that you would act responsibly.

All the fruit does not, however, go to "waste". Deer, bear, turkey, possums, racoons, foxes - all depend on that fruit to help fatten them up for winter - even the rotten fruit will usually get eaten.

I can see your point but this not only applies to apples but to berries, nuts, herbs, roots and more. To allow anyone to go in and start using these resources for themselves would only invite disaster upon the animals who live there. Remember "sang" hunting? Ginseng was nearly wiped out of Appalachia by people who would pick it irresponsibly.

I have found that most people will act responsibly once they understand why certain rules have been made. I trust you are one of them.
Cheers, ATA

(there's no reason you can't enjoy an apple while you're there. They can't arrest you for having a stomach full of fruit)

[edit on 23-8-2010 by Asktheanimals]

reply to post by rubbertramp

I think they over reacted by placing you in cuffs. I live near a National Recreation Area with Park Rangers and I know it's technically illegal to remove anything from federal property. I think a warning combined with an explanation of the policy would of been more than sufficient. It certainly sounds like they could have been more courteous.

I'm unsure about the notification of policy by me although I know I've read it somewhere, either through signage or printed material. Ignorance of the law doesn't pass for an excuse I've heard but how are people supposed to know everything? Just because you've done it before and never got caught doesn't make it correct. They should have handled the matter differently than they did.

Out of curiosity, what would your reaction have been if they acted a bit more friendly and educated you of the law?

reply to post by Asktheanimals


Since when are animals more important than humans?
Aren't public lands supposed to be 'public'?
What happened to "show me the law/sign"?

Great post but this part was a rather odd note to and on.

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
(there's no reason you can't enjoy an apple while you're there. They can't arrest you for having a stomach full of fruit)

However:

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
What if 10 or 100 people all decided to do what you did?

You either follow the rules or you don't.

Originally posted by Alethea
reply to post by Asktheanimals

 

What happened to "show me the law/sign"?

I concur. There was no sign, nor did they educate the OP on any law.....
I still stand by my speculation of UN control here....

reply to post by rubbertramp


Get yourself a wild edibles guide too.

Medicinal plants guide might not hurt either.

I think this is all part of the Agenda 21 bunk coming down the pike.



The same ppl pushing this are the same ppl that put up the
Georgia Guidestones about 30 years ago.

Also ties in with Codex Alimentarius which became law world wide
via the WTO in Dec. of 2009.



[edit on 23-8-2010 by Ex_MislTech]

Originally posted by Alethea
reply to post by Asktheanimals

 

Since when are animals more important than humans?
Aren't public lands supposed to be 'public'?
What happened to "show me the law/sign"?

Under agenda 21 the public will be herded into smart growth zones,
and the so called public lands are just being seized by the globalist
for the usually parasitic reasons.

Under agenda 21 the public is the enemy.

reply to post by Three_moons

Out of curiosity, what would your reaction have been if they acted a bit more friendly and educated you of the law?

if they in any way educated me about any law on the books i would respect it, undoubtedly.

asktheanimals. i understand your point of view. and appreciate it enough that i will research the area deeper just to make sure i'm not breaking the law. i know there is nothing posted, nothing. i also know it is regular forest service land, no rec area, no wilderness, nothing of the sort.
also realize that we are talking about around 100 or more fruit trees. there's also berry bushes everywhere, it's an area of nothing but food.
i do know of a few others that venture up there for a bit of picking, like me, about a daypack full. i hope you understand how much food i'm talking about. the area is also grazed by a couple of ranchers with forest service permits. the homestead is fenced, to keep the cows out, thankfully, or the springs would be trashed.
i think it a good idea to arm myself with proof that i'm not breaking the law. if it was up to me i'd pick packloads to pass out to the poor and homeless.

Originally posted by Asktheanimals

All the fruit does not, however, go to "waste". Deer, bear, turkey, possums, racoons, foxes - all depend on that fruit to help fatten them up for winter - even the rotten fruit will usually get eaten.

Fruit trees planted around a homestead in New Mexico are
due to the EVIL actions of humans.

So if humans eat all the fruit that is fine because it would be
cactus land otherwise.

As for the rats, insects, possums, coyotes and foxes being more
important than humans...welcome to my foes list.

reply to post by Ex_MislTech


i'm fully aware of all you mentioned, except the guide stones. know what they basically are, have seen pics, but that's about it.

what you mention actually goes deeper.
basically, every designated public lands wilderness was not set aside for it's beauty, it was set aside as a stash of resources for the government.
mostly minerals, every wilderness in the west is this way.
gold, aquamarine, topaz, lithium etc..in the sawtooths of idaho.
i could basically go through every wilderness area.

I once smuggled a few giant pinecones as souvenirs from Sequoia National Park in Cali as it is illegal to even take a stick or stone from a National Park. It is pretty messed up, but I do understand that if everyone started doing it could destroy the park, vegetation, and animal life.

However, I think you should not have been places in handcuffs. Maybe, the bad apple Park Rangers harvest the orchard in secret and were pissed that you had found their secret stash.

Make sure the fruit is worth the squeeze.

*SNIP*
I agree Agenda 21 is a Plan but lets face facts, ask any Ranger/Cop about Agenda 21, he will look at you like you are crazy!
There May Be a Large/Small Crop they know about and have been waiting to get the guys that carry it out.


Mod Edit: Discussion of illegal activities such as drug use, drug paraphernalia are strictly forbidden.



[edit on Tue Aug 24 2010 by DontTreadOnMe]

reply to post by Asktheanimals

To allow anyone to go in and start using these resources for themselves would only invite disaster upon the animals who live there

Do you mean to say that the native Americans caused their own extinction by using the earths natural resources ?

reply to post by rubbertramp


So basically you stole stuff and now complain that some cops saw it?
Really?
I maean....REALLY?
Haven't your parents teached you anthing about stealing?
Doesn't matter if those fruits got to waste or not, it's nor your property and if you say that there are animals around, you stole their food. Not really nice.

I really can just wonder about some people here...whining because they got caught stealing. What's next? A guy complains about the evil cops because they busted him raping a kid?

Why is it so hard for some people to just follow some basic, simple rules? Don't steal, don't harm any one....shouldn't be that hard i think.

reply to post by rubbertramp


You have got to be joking right? The trees were brought by people the animals have lived there for probably a thousand years at least before people. Trust me they will be fine. And ginseng is not native to the Americas either. Ever seen a heard of deer devastate a fruit orchard? I have!

Mod Edit: Big Quote – Please Review This Link.

Mod Note: Removed quote of entire OP. Replaced with "Reply to" tag.



[edit on 2010/8/23 by GradyPhilpott]