Property owners associated with the Free Land Holder Committee, the group that attempted to fence off and claim 1,460 acres of public land in southwestern Colorado, failed to pay taxes this year on the 180 acres they own in Montezuma County — and a tax lien on that land was auctioned off in November.
The 180 acres near Mancos, northwest of Durango, is owned by PJ Sunset P.L.P. Nevada Revocable Living Trust, which is linked to Patrick Leroy Pipkin, a self-proclaimed ambassador of the Free Land Holder Committee who resides on the property.
The trust neglected to pay $12,301.40 in property taxes on three 60-acre parcels, according to records at the Montezuma County Treasurer’s Office.
The taxes were due by April 30 and, since they remained unpaid, a lien on the property was sold at auction on Nov. 7, Treasurer Ellen Black confirmed. The name of the buyer of the lien was not disclosed.
The buyer must retain the lien for a minimum of three years, earning 15% interest annually, before being able to initiate a property auction to recover their investment. Alternatively, they can keep the lien for up to 15 years to continue accruing interest if the taxes remain unpaid for that duration.
The revocable trust has the option to settle its outstanding taxes, along with interest, to rectify the debt, Black explained.
Pipkin and two other individuals acquired the 180 acres in 2020 at a courthouse auction after the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a polygamist cult, forfeited its real estate holdings following the imprisonment of its leader, Warren Jeffs, in Texas on rape charges. All three men have historical connections to the FLDS church and received federal court settlements against Jeffs and the church after filing wrongful arrest lawsuits.
Pipkin and his co-owners initially purchased the property under the name Blue Mountain Ranch LLC but altered the title to the P.J. Sunset P.L.P. trust last year. Black noted that the Blue Mountain Ranch ownership group had previously met their tax obligations.
“They have paid before but not under this name,” she clarified.
It is uncertain whether the two individuals who joined Pipkin in purchasing the land in 2020 still hold ownership shares. Attempts by JS to contact them have been fruitless.
During an October interview at the ranch, Pipkin informed The Post that he fulfills his tax obligations despite not acknowledging himself as a citizen of the United States or recognizing the Montezuma County government. Pipkin and other Free Land Holders assert that they are citizens of The United States of America Republic — with a capital T — and cite various historical government documents and treaties to support their stance.
Nevertheless, Pipkin mentioned in October that he intended to settle the property taxes due by Nov. 7, indicating his awareness of the scheduled tax lien sale.
“We pay our food tax. We pay our fuel tax so that we can use the roads that we’re using to drive these boundaries,” Pipkin stated. “We’re respecting the United States. We’re not vigilantes or some crazy cult.”
Attempts to reach Pipkin this week for discussions regarding the tax lien sale have been unsuccessful.
The U.S. government filed a lawsuit against Pipkin and other unidentified members of the Free Land Holder Committee on Nov. 26 over the group’s assertions that sections of the San Juan National Forest are their property. The Department of Justice is seeking a court order to prevent the Free Land Holders from attempting to fence off the forest land again and to dispute the group’s claim of owning the land known as the Haller Deed Area.
The initial court hearing for this case is set for March 5.
The Free Land Holders gained global attention in October when they enclosed 1,460 acres in the Chicken Creek region of the San Juan National Forest with a barbed-wire fence, asserting ownership of the property rather than the U.S. Forest Service. This action upset residents in the nearby town of Mancos because Chicken Creek is a popular outdoor recreation area utilized for cattle grazing by local ranchers.
Despite Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin’s appeals to allow the government to handle the situation, individuals in Mancos dismantled the fence and left the posts and barbed wire coils in the forest for the Free Land Holders to retrieve.
Shortly after the removal of the fence, the Free Land Holder Committee distributed public notices around Mancos announcing their intention to annex an even larger portion of the national forest if no individual with “an equal, previous, or superior claim” reaches out to the committee by Dec. 15.
The community established the Chicken Creek Coalition, a grassroots alliance of cattlemen, horseback riders, hikers, bikers, and skiers, to oppose the actions of the Free Land Holder Committee. The coalition has conducted public meetings on the matter and organized campaigns urging members of Congress to support public lands and encourage the federal government to counter the Free Land Holder Committee.
In anticipation of another fence construction, the community is arranging a public lands celebration at 1 p.m. on Dec. 15 at the Chicken Creek Nordic Ski Trailhead. The event will feature music and hot beverages as the community commemorates “our connection and appreciation for the amazing landscape that we share,” as depicted in promotional posters.
Receive more Colorado news by subscribing to our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.
