Miners to challenge illegal road citation

Miners in southern Oregon say they will support two other miners in a dispute over a U.S. Forest Service citation for allegedly creating an illegal road to access their mining claim. Bob Bernhardt of Grants Pass, who has a claim next to the two miners, told The Daily Courier the pair were cited incorrectly. Bernhardt told the newspaper the road was used during the massive Biscuit Fire in 2002. Kerby Jackson of the Southwest Oregon Mining Association says his organization will back the two miners, if needed. Last week, the Forest Service cited the two miners, saying the road was illegal. But the agency wouldn't release their names or any details such as possible penalties, citing the federal Privacy Act.  AP