Dear Friends,

I'm posting here to see if someone can give me advice on a land
grabbing situation in Crystal Bay. Maybe this isn't the correct
forum,
but I was hoping to find some information and/or sympathetic support.


The issue:


I am a frequent visitor to Crystal Bay, NV. My friend's have owned a
modest and adorable cabin designed in the old spirit of Lake Tahoe
before mansions were built in the area -- truly a gem, and we love
being able to visit the lake.


In 2001, a resident constructed a fence that blocks an easement that
gave access to a boat and swimming dock located on Nevada Public
Land. The easement
passes through a portion of this resident's property. My friends do
not have lake access. For years, we used the easement in order to
access the lake. Now that the fence is in place, the dock is fairly
inaccessible, and we have just a few options:


Trespass on another resident's property and access the dock from a
steep and dangerous hill


Climb the fence and risk the resident calling the sheriff's
department
which she has done in the past ... or risk being harassed by the
resident which she has done on numerous occasions


Refrain from using dock at all.


The resident was issued a cease and desists while the fence was being
built by the Nevada State Lands Division. When Nevada officials left
the scene, the resident continued construction, installed a gate, and
she locked the gate with a padlock. She offered a key to the local
residents ONLY if they signed a paper acknowledging that she owns the
land beyond the gate. Obviously, my friends refused, so she refused
to give them a key.


There is some conjecture that the fence also blocks access by
emergency vehicles like Fire trucks. I am not sure if this is true
or
if it is a rumor. We made the climb to the dock a few months ago, and
we found the dock in a sad state of disrepair. It doesn't look like
the state of Nevada can even access the land in order to maintain it.


I have contacted the Washoe County Clerk and the Nevada State Lands
Division.


This issue has been pending for 6 years.


Does anyone have advice on how to approach this issue from the
perspective of local politics or government?


Any help would be really appreciated.


Best Regards