re: squatting, that used to happen in the form of using a mining claim on government land and some theater to acquire land for non-mining purposes. They changed

re: squatting, that used to happen in the form of using a mining claim on government land and some theater to acquire land for non-mining purposes. They changed the laws a few decades ago to curtail that kind of abuse so it isn't really a thing anymore. Claims that you effectively abandon have a cost in that they have to be defended against encroachment or you can lose them to an encroacher.