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</v:background></xml><![endif]--><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'>At our recent WLTA educational seminar the question was raised about “protracted blocks”. The seminar topic was mining claims and mineral interests, and apparently an attendee had been given this term in connection with a transaction, but did not understand what it was. (I am not sure if their transaction involved a patented mining claim.) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'>Some of you were in the room when this question was asked. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'>I was not familiar with the term, but found this information</span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'> about “protracted blocks.” They are apparently those areas that are next to surveyed lands, but are not yet themselves surveyed. Prior to 1993 they were described by the section number that would be used if the government survey had been completed for that land.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'>Looks like the suggestion is that the non-yet-created section number be used for reference purposes, but basically a protracted block number must be used. Since there are 36 sections in a township, numbering these protracted blocks within an area where sections would be numbered if and when a survey is completed, the protracted blocks would be numbered starting at 37 (irrespective of the fact there wouldn’t be any official sections created). (While imperfect, I suppose it could be analogous to a government lot – imperfect because a government lot is a fractional section that is definitely surveyed.)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'>While such protracted blocks lands would probably be considered uninsurable for lack of an insurable description, transactions involving them might not be considered insurable anyway. For example, it looks like the US can lease portions of such lands but I’m not sure title insurers would likely be asked to insure them. My take would be to decline insurance, but each underwriter should make its own decision. Perhaps the description provided (I have no idea what it would look like) could be used, but with an exception for where it is actually located… Perhaps there is a way, but I haven’t reviewed this beyond reading this information on the web. I also don’t see any direct connection with patented mining claims, except that the lands might abut a (surveyed) patented mining claim in the same way they might abut a section created by a government survey.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'>I’ve attached a brochure if you want to read more. Interestingly, while a patented mining claim can be insured, and one element is the requirement for a survey, it would appear that, while the survey must tied to known monuments, the surveyed land might be located within an unsurveyed area. I’ve always assumed that a recorded mining claim patent, being surveyed, was locatable. Perhaps that’s not always the case if it’s “floating” within a protracted block.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'>I suspect there may be more of this in Alaska, where there is a lot of unsurveyed land compared to the lower 48. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'>Here is the web description of a protracted block:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'><a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/hlcnf/maps-pubs/?cid=STELPRDB5444282#:~:text=Protracted%20Blocks%20(PB)&text=That%20PB%20stands%20for%20'Protracted,entire%2C%20boundary%20has%20been%20surveyed">https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/hlcnf/maps-pubs/?cid=STELPRDB5444282#:~:text=Protracted%20Blocks%20(PB)&text=That%20PB%20stands%20for%20'Protracted,entire%2C%20boundary%20has%20been%20surveyed</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'>Some of you may have more background on this and are knowledgeable about some to the questions I’ve raised. I welcome your comments, directly to me if not to this group (underwriters and underwriting counsel for WLTA members). Perhaps this is something for our WLTA Examiners Manual, although we don’t have a current chapter of government surveys as such. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>George<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D'>George Peters, WTP<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D'>Executive Director<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D'>Washington Land Title Association<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'><a href="https://washingtonlandtitle.com"><span style='color:#0563C1'>https://washingtonlandtitle.com</span></a> </span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D'>Mail: PO Box 328, Lynnwood, WA 98046<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D'>Delivery: 6817 208<sup>th</sup> St SW, #328, Lynnwood, WA 98036<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D'>206-437-5869 (Mobile)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D'>206-260-4731 (Fax)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext'><a href="mailto:execdirector@wltaonline.org"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:blue'>execdirector@washingtonlandtitle.com</span></a></span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext'><img border=0 width=169 height=97 style='width:1.7583in;height:1.0083in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01DB02C0.02A3B0A0" alt="WLTA Logo w-Ring Blue 1a"><img border=0 width=95 height=95 style='width:.9916in;height:.9916in' id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image003.jpg@01DB02C0.02A3B0A0"></span><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext'>This is a confidential communication intended solely for the named recipient. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy it and call George Peters at 206-437-5869 immediately. Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>