By Olivia Prentzel and Jason Blevins | The Colorado Sun
A group that fenced off about 1,400 acres of U.S. Forest Service land outside Mancos after claiming ownership over it is now being sued by the federal government.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court of Colorado, U.S. attorneys called the Free Land Holder group’s fence “unlawful,” citing the federal government’s title to the land that it manages through the Forest Service for recreation purposes and cattle grazing.
The U.S. is filing the lawsuit, attorneys wrote, to prevent further harm to the land and public and “ensure continuing free and lawful access to public property.”