Glenn Kangiser

The sign is reasonably effective though I have never enforced it.

During the fire of 08 the sheriffs would not admit they had read the sign so I know it carries weight.  I was not interested in enforcing it on them.  Just wanted them to let me take care of my own property and they were out of line.  They knew it.

It is enforceable on the individual in small claims court I understand from the www.landrights.com website.  I have never had any officials who wanted to test it.

Also there is a patent notice sign on that site.  My understanding is that you get your exhaustive chain of title - all the way back to the patent - usually it says something like.. from the federal gov. to _______ or heirs and assigns .... owner being an assign through exhaustive chain of title and county not being a party to it, so leaving county jurisdiction out of it. 

I have never been tested on it and am not making waves to be tested.

Also.. it may be only as good as the honesty of the court in your area. 

You write an invoice to the offending party who passed the sign thereby agreeing to pay the daily land use fee and take them to small claims to collect from them personally.

I am not an authority on this but it seems to work.

Be careful about setting any kind of trap or making a dangerous situation on your property.  Unfortunately the laws also protect the trespasser from you harming them.  Even blanks can kill or be switched.  Recently a man triggered his own trap and killed himself.

A trespasser has the right to leave to remedy the trespass, but if he willingly enters he agrees to the land use fee if posted and owes you... kind of like a software license... accept the terms and you are legally bound.  You willingly accepted.

Note that while you have the civil rights the sign talks about, it is legal for you to contract them away by signing a building permit or any other way you want ot contract your rights away.

Also check out UCC 1-207 --changed to  UCC 1-308 now I think... I use it on my legal signatures when I am not sure of hidden penalties such as tax forms.  Never had a problem and always got my refund.  All rights reserved or without predjudice - means you don't give up your common law rights is my understanding, to agree to be governed by their color of law rules imposing unjust penalties - contracting your rights away by your signature on their contract.

I think I only know enough about this to be dangerous but it may give you a place to start studying about your rights and freedoms that are daily being taken away.  Again - only as good as the legal authorities in your area.

My pleasure.

Paul has posted there quite often and it is a complimentary forum to this one rather than a conflicting one.  It is also free like this one with knowledgeable helpful members.

Hopefully it can be of benefit to Permies members interested in the shelter aspect of a homestead. 

Emerson, I think Sepp would agree with you regarding the Government project of planting trees in areas where they should not be all around his place.  The government mismanagement destroyed the natural qualities of the land..... but then again, so do his permaculture techniques and lakes.

I see it as improvement in self support working with nature.  Possibly the solution would be if all human life on earth were to perish then things would go back to nature with man being unable to affect it?

I think we were meant to use the earth to our benefit and improve it without destroying it.

saybiantv, I think the vibraflotation is beyond the scope of most of us and not likely to solve problems we would encounter on our relatively small projects.

I remove the like the other comments here and really each piece of land has to be evaluated regarding the best method.  Machinery costs money to use even if you own it, but with proper thought each piece can be used to advantage I think.  I noticed Sepp used different machines in different videos and think he would make the best use of what he had available.

I build dams in smaller lifts after getting down to the mineral clay layer below.  The vibration and weight of the Bobcat or backhoe are enough for excellent compaction.  I experiment a bit each year not making major changes until I see the effect.  I keep spillways to the side on native soil to prevent washing out the new soil.  My soil is ideal for not losing a water retention improvement and consists of clay and rocks.

Here is a small one I made several years ago for my cows.  The mud in the water is from my dog playing in it otherwise it was clear with mosquito fish in it.  They found their own way from the ponds above.  It is the third in a series.



Steams are only seasonal in this area except my year around spring which does not leave my property.

Egyptian professor friend recommending Catfish in my year round spring pond about 300 feet above the lower pond.



Emerson, I always enjoy your alternative viewpoints and the idea that I may look at things different after viewing it from your angle.

I am a well driller also and have a good grasp of how groundwater works.

I have made 4 ponds - 3 from a plugged up spring and 1 on the side of a mountain using techniques as Sepp teaches.  He is not afraid to use an excavator and I am not afraid to use a tracked 963 Bobcat.  As Sepp mentioned though he gets away from the heavy machinery more after he has made his improvements.

It just seemed to be implied, probably a mistaken supposition on my part, but I agree.  A drop of water kept here is a drop of water that doesn't go there....

That could be possible, but the improvement possibilities could also be considerably larger than you are talking about.

No problem.... I am at the top of the ridge. 

Nobody can possibly live above me except in a blimp.....

Below me it is only seasonal and I would only delay the water from getting down there and only on 60 acres of hundreds of thousands.  I would actually increase the amount of water available to neighbors downstream by holding it here to store it in the ground a little better .. otherwise about a foot to 2 feet down there is impermeable claystone type bedrock.

Water that flows off of our mountain too rapidly only creates problems for people below.  Roads flood.

It could slightly change things downstream ... mostly making things better, but the big improvement would be in my land and in preventing floods downstream.  If everyone stored water in our area, it would only improve the groundwater situation for the most part.  Even for the San Joaquin Valley below us where they are rapidly depleting their water aquifer.  Our water delayed would improve their water supply.

Different situations for different conditions.  I could do exactly as Emerson mentioned Sepp does and not harm anyone or have anyone notice. 

It would only benefit all later in the year as more water was allowed to slowly make it through the clay soil and prevent flooding as much downstream.

The soil build up in small dams is not a loss either.  It also fills with water and becomes a storage area as Brad Lancaster mentioned at the seminar in our little town a week and a half ago.  He mentioned using a one rock dam then as that built up add another level and continue doing that until a large area is filled in to store and delay the downhill movement of the water.

Water does not have to be stored as a lake - it can be stored in the soil and withdrawn by plants.