Boulder, Utah – A six-year land squabble between a Boulder man and the Bureau of Land Management could come to a head, now that a federal court has ordered the man’s eviction.
Gary Haws has been ordered off the 2.5-acre parcel of BLM land before, but he hasn’t budged.
Federal officials say the time has come to work out the dispute.
BLM officers and a U.S. marshal plan to move Haws’ family off the property Dec. 3, the end of the 45-day window allowed by the judge in the Oct. 20 order. Haws’ son Ryan and his family live in a mobile home on the land.
Federal officials continue to negotiate with Ryan Haws, said Melodie Rydalch, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney for Utah.
Gary Haws put his mobile home on the parcel, adjacent to land his family already owned, in 1976. He thought the land was his, but a 1984 survey showed it really belonged to the BLM.
Federal officials offered the land to Haws for $21,000. They let Haws stay, provided that he pay $150 for a temporary permit each year. When Haws failed to pay for three years, officials took action, filing a civil complaint in 1999.
Ryan Haws bought the trailer from his father that year. He says he can’t afford to move but would consider buying the land for a fair price.
