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Anchorage, ALASKA: A federal appeals court has once again rejected the Pilgrim family's right to drive a bulldozer to its land inside a national park without going through a lengthy permit process and environmental review. The McCarthy-area family -- whose patriarch, Robert Hale, adopted the name Pilgrim -- became a celebrated cause for some land-rights groups in 2003 after the National Park Service rejected the Hales' bid to use an old mining road to access private land inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Hale had aggravated park officials by driving a bulldozer over the old route to get building supplies after...

PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION TAKES PILGRIM FAMILY CASE TO THE NINTH CIRCUIT The Sierra Times PRECEDENT-SETTING CASE ASKS COURT TO AFFIRM THE RIGHTS OF ALASKANS TO ACCESS FEDERAL LANDS SAN FRANCISCO, CA; December 24, 2003: Pacific Legal Foundation filed an emergency motion and notice of appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday in a highly publicized case that pits an Alaska wilderness family against the National Park Service. PLF is asking the court to grant the Pilgrim family emergency access to the only viable road to their property, which the Park Service closed last April. The case has precedent-setting...

eco-logicPowerhouse Commentary... If Pilgrims lose land to park, we all do By Paula Easley There is legitimate confusion over events surrounding a family's run-in with officials in Wrangell-St. Elias Park. Press reports have focused on the Pilgrim family's colorful background, deflecting attention from the compelling issue of access to private property in the parks. Without some basic knowledge of ANILCA, the law that created Alaska's conservation units, the publicity can be misinterpreted, obscuring the historic significance of the situation. A long drive to Glennallen and McCarthy and conversations with residents helped clarify the picture for me. About 75 people gathered...

WASHINGTON, D.C - Pacific Legal Foundation Monday filed suit against the federal government in a highly publicized case that pits a rustic family of Alaska wilderness landowners against the National Park Service (NPS). At issue in the case is the Park Service’s closure of the 15-mile-long McCarthy-Green Butte road that traverses federal land and provides the only overland access to property owned by Robert Hale, commonly known as Papa Pilgrim, and the 16 members of his family. Pilgrim purchased the 410-acre parcel in the Spring of 2002, and the family has lived in the old miner’s house situated on the...

<p>McCARTHY -- Like most people who meet the Pilgrim family for the first time, Walt Wigger was mightily impressed when they showed up to buy his mine in the Wrangell Mountains.</p> <p>Wigger, a crusty Fairbanks miner in his 80s, was struck by the size of the family and its energy and obvious unity of purpose. He was also impressed by the $30,000 in $100 bills that Papa Pilgrim pulled from his coat pocket -- money from cashing the family's Alaska Permanent Fund dividend checks.</p>

<p>I.B. Hale, father of Bobby Hale, now known as Papa Pilgrim, was a two-time All-American football player for Texas Christian University. He later was an FBI agent and chief of security for General Dynamics.</p> <p>McCARTHY -- Robert Allan Hale's father was a big football hero. In Texas the heroes don't come much bigger.</p>

<p>McCARTHY -- Like most people who meet the Pilgrim family for the first time, Walt Wigger was mightily impressed when they showed up to buy his mine in the Wrangell Mountains.</p> <p>Wigger, a crusty Fairbanks miner in his 80s, was struck by the size of the family and its energy and obvious unity of purpose. He was also impressed by the $30,000 in $100 bills that Papa Pilgrim pulled from his coat pocket -- money from cashing the family's Alaska Permanent Fund dividend checks.</p>

THURSDAY JUNE 26 2003 ShopNetDaily Page 1 News Page 2 News G2 Bulletin BizNetDaily LocalNetDaily Commentary Classified Ads Letters People Search SportsNetDaily Health Weather TV Guide Movies Stocks PARK WARS: PART 1 'Pilgrim' family butts heads with feds Alaska 'hillbillies' take on bureaucrats over access to private land Posted: June 26, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern Editor's note: This is Part 1 of a 2-part series examining the battle a large Alaska family is fighting with federal officials over access to their land, which is located in a national park. By Sarah Foster © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com Not many travelers find their...

WorldNetDaily 'Pilgrim' family butts heads with fedsAlaska 'hillbillies' take on bureaucrats over access to private land Posted: June 26, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern Editor's note: This is Part 1 of a 2-part series examining the battle a large Alaska family is fighting with federal officials over access to their land, which is located in a national park. By Sarah Foster © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com Not many travelers find their way in mid-winter to the small towns in southeast Alaska's backcountry – which is why folks in McCarthy – a miniscule community in the heart of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve – were...

WorldNetDaily / Commentary Henry Lamb Federal land grabs transforming American society Posted: July 5, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com The Pilgrim family in Alaska is not the only instance of the federal government forcing people off their land. Donald Scott was awakened in the middle of the night by someone breaking through his front door. He grabbed his gun and started down the stairs, when he was shot dead by federal agents. Bob Learzaf was taking a bath, when the feds stormed through his front door. They handcuffed him, put him in leg-irons, and hauled him to jail. The "crime"...

<p>McCARTHY -- Like most people who meet the Pilgrim family for the first time, Walt Wigger was mightily impressed when they showed up to buy his mine in the Wrangell Mountains.</p> <p>Wigger, a crusty Fairbanks miner in his 80s, was struck by the size of the family and its energy and obvious unity of purpose. He was also impressed by the $30,000 in $100 bills that Papa Pilgrim pulled from his coat pocket -- money from cashing the family's Alaska Permanent Fund dividend checks.</p>

<p>WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS NATIONAL PARK, Alaska, Sept. 28 — Psalms sat on Papa Pilgrim’s right knee and Lamb perched on his left. Thirteen more of his children - all of them with names from the Bible, several of them packing pistols - crowded around. So did his exhausted-looking wife, Country Rose.</p>

ECO - LOGIC After the Pilgrims... Park Service Rewrites History - and Law By "McCarthy Annie" Editor's note: This story is provided by the American Landrights Association, where you can find extensive coverage of the Pilgrim's plight. ALRA has established a Legal Defense Fund to help pay Pilgrim's attorney. Checks should be made payable to ALRA, with "Pilgrim Family" in the notation area. Here are a few more examples of how the Park Service and other federal agencies are driving people off their land: Bob LearzafDonald ScottDiane Luppi If you ever come to visit me in this rugged back corner...