Mining claim dispute brings Patriots to Montana town

LINCOLN, Mont. — Members of armed groups that call themselves constitutional advocates have arrived in a Montana town to support an owner during an ongoing dispute with the U.S. Forest Service concerning a federal mining claim. Members of the groups Oath Keepers, Pacific Patriot Network and 3% of Idaho — which gets its name from the 3 percent of Americans who fought in the Revolutionary War — have come to Lincoln to begin a security operation at the White Hope Mine east of the town, according to the Helena Independent Record. The groups say that the mine claim held by George Kornec predates the 1955 regulations that granted surface rights to the Forest Service and instead falls under an 1872 law that would grant both surface and subsurface rights to Kornec. “Our position is to protect the rights of these miners thru an open dialogue with the USFS and reach a Legal & Constitutional conclusion,” the groups said in a joint news release. Oath Keepers is a national group best known as supporters of the Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy during a 2014 dispute with the Bureau of Land Management. The Forest Service says Kornec abandoned his claim when he missed a 1986 filing deadline by one day, meaning the claim is now regulated under 1955 laws. “We have to go with that decision because of that break in time,” said Bill Avey, supervisor of the Helena and Lewis and Clark national forests. “The bottom line is, we have been working, have a long tradition of working with and we want to continue to work with” Kornec and Intermountain Mining LLC co-owner Phil Nappo. Avey said Nappo and Kornec indicated during a July 30 meeting that they were going to submit a new plan to the Forest Service soon. “So why they have these other people up there is a mystery to us,” Avey said. Ret. U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Joseph Santoro, who is among the men who traveled to help protect the mine, says he understands that Lincoln residents might find it abnormal to have packs of men carrying rifles wandering the streets, but they shouldn’t be concerned. “Because it’s a small town they’re very concerned with seeing us in our camies and carrying around guns open carry,” he said. “These people make hay six months per year, so we are doing everything we can to support them with our money and patronage and their wishes.”