Case Name: Mandy VERDIN, Wife of/and Sidney Verdin v. The LOUISIANA LAND AND EXPLORATION COMPANY
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1997-03-12
Citations: 693 So. 2d 162
Docket Number: No. 96-CA-1815
Parties: Mandy VERDIN, Wife of/and Sidney Verdin v. The LOUISIANA LAND AND EXPLORATION COMPANY.
Judges: Before BYRNES, LOBRANO and PLOTKIN, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 693
Pages: 162–178

Head Matter:
Mandy VERDIN, Wife of/and Sidney Verdin v. The LOUISIANA LAND AND EXPLORATION COMPANY.
No. 96-CA-1815.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.
March 12, 1997.
Rehearing Denied May 15, 1997.
Joel Waltzer, Bruce C. Waltzer, Waltzer & Associates, New Orleans and Joseph L. Waitz, Mary Riviere, Waitz & Downer, Hou-ma, for Plaintiffs/Appellants.
■ Bruce R. Hoefer, Jr., Robert T. Lorio, Milling, Benson, Woodward, Hillyer, Pierson & Miller, New Orleans, for Defendant/Appel-lee.
Before BYRNES, LOBRANO and PLOTKIN, JJ.

Opinion:
liPLOTKIN, Judge.
Plaintiffs Mandy and Sidney Verdin (hereinafter "the Verdins") appeal a trial court judgment following a jury trial, which dismissed them suit against defendant Louisiana Land & Exploration Co. (hereinafter "LL & E") on a finding that LL & E is immune from liability under the Louisiana recreational use immunity statutes, LSA-R.S. 9:2791 and 9:2795. We affirm.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
The Verdins claim that they suffered serious injuries on December 8, 1991, when the sixteen-foot flatbottom skiff in which they were riding hit a concrete survey marker placed by LL & E at the corner of its property in a marshy area near the Verdins' home at Point Au Chien, Louisiana. The purpose of the concrete survey marker was to identify the boundaries of the property owned by LL & E. The edges of the LL & E property in the area were marked with signs which read as follows:
bPOSTED
THE LA. LAND AND EXPLORATION CO.
HOUMA, LA.
The evidence presented at trial indicates that the signs were placed at approximate 500-feet intervals. Moreover, LL & E claims that the marker which the Verdins allegedly struck was marked with a sign on either side. Both of the Verdins denied seeing any signs at the site of the marker on the day of the accident. They were on their way home from an afternoon fishing expedition when the accident occurred.
The Verdins filed suit against LL & E claiming negligence in the maintenance of the corner marker in an open bay without any warning signs. LL & E answered, claiming, inter alia, that, as the owner of property used for recreational purposes, it is immune from liability under Louisiana's recreational use statutes. Following a week-long jury trial, the jury found that LL & E was 100 percent at fault in causing the accident. However, the jury also answered "YES" to the following interrogatory: "Do you find that the plaintiffs Mandy Verdin and Sidney Verdin were fishing for recreational purposes at the time of their accident?" On the basis of that factual finding, the trial court entered judgment in favor of LL & E, dismissing the Verdins' case. In his reasons for judgment, the trial judge stated as follows:
The jury found that the plaintiffs, Mandy Verdin and Sidney Vez'din, were fishing for recreational purposes at the time of their accident.
Under R.S. 9:2791 the defendant is entitled to immunity under the facts existing.
The Verdins appeal, claiming that the trial court erred in applying the recreational use immunity for the following reasons: (1) the record contained no evidence that LL & E had dedicated the bay in question for recreational purposes; (2) the Verdins were not given permission to engage in any recreational use of thejsbay; and (3) the hazard was a man-made concrete marker placed in the open bay by LL & E. The Verdins also claim that the trial court's application of the recreational use immunity statutes renders the statutes unconstitutional, and that the state recreational use immunity cannot abolish LL & E's liability under federal law prohibiting the obstruction of navigable waters. Finally, the Verdins claim that the jury erred in finding that they were engaged in recreational activity at the time of the accident.
LL & E answered the Verdins appeal, claiming that the jury erred in making the following factual findings in favor of the Ver-dins: (1) that the Verdins' skiff struck the LL & E corner marker; (2) that LL & E was solely at fault; (3) that the Verdins proved the required causal relationship between the alleged accident and their alleged injuries; and (4) that Mandy Verdin was entitled to $100,000 in general damages. The parties had stipulated the amount of special damages, and LL & E claims also that the jury should not have disregarded the stipulated amounts and made other special damage awards.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
In the instant ease, the judge entered judgment in favor of the defendants on the basis of the fact that the jury found that the Verdins were engaged in recreational activity at the time of the accident. Because of the jury's finding that the Verdins were engaged in recreational activity, the trial judge held that LL & E was immune from liability under Louisiana's recreational use immunity statutes. Thus, the trial court judgment was based wholly on the jury's findings of facts. |4The standard of review for this judgment is therefore the "manifest error" standard of review which applies to judgments based on factual findings. See Stobart v. State, 617 So.2d 880 (La.1993). Accordingly, this court's task is to determine whether the jury's findings "are reasonable in light of the record reviewed in its entirety." Housley v. Cerise, 579 So.2d 973, 976 (La.1991).
APPLICATION OF RECREATIONAL USE IMMUNITY STATUTES
Louisiana's recreational use immunity is created by LSA-R.S. 9:2791, relative to land not used primarily for commercial recreational purposes, and LSAR.S. 9:2795, relative to land used for recreational purposes. The purpose for which the recreational use immunity statutes were adopted was "to induce private owners of large acreages to open expanses of undeveloped lands for public outdoor, open land recreational purposes." Monteville v. Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government, 567 So.2d 1097, 1098 (La.1990). Because the two statutes deal with the same subject matter, they must be read in pari materia. Id. at 1100. In fact, the jurisprudence generally does not distinguish between the two statutes. Because the record in the instant case indicates that the property in question was not used primarily for commercial recreational purposes, we quote LSA-R.S. 9:2791:
A. An owner, lessee, or occupant of premises owes no duty of care to keep such premises safe for entry or use by others for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, sightseeing or boating or to give warning of any hazardous conditions, use of, structure or activities on such premises to persons entering for such purposes. If such an owner, lessee or occupant give permission to another to enter the premises for such recreational purposes he does not thereby extend any assurance that the premises are safe for such purposes or constitute the person to whom permission is granted one to whom a duty of care is owed, or assume responsibility for or incur liability for any injury to persons or property |5caused by any act of person to whom permission is granted.
B. This Section does not exclude any liability which would otherwise exist for deliberate and willful or malicious injury to persons or property, nor does it create any liability where such liability does not now exist. Furthermore the provisions of this Section shall not apply when the premises are used principally for a commercial, recreational enterprise for profit; existing law governing such use is not changed by this Section.
C. The word "premises" as used in this Section includes lands, roads, waters, water courses, private ways and buildings, structures, machinery or equipment thereon.
D. The limitation of liability extended by this Section to the owner, lessee, or occupant of premises shall not be affected by the granting of a lease, right of use, or right of occupancy for any recreational purpose which may limit the use of the premises to persons other than the entire public or by the posting of the premises so as to limit the use of the premises to persons other than the entire public.
A. Factors for determining application of the statutes
Most of the eases interpreting the recreational use immunity statutes impose either two or three conditions on the application of the immunity. For example, the Louisiana Supreme Court, in Ratcliff v. Town of Mandeville, 502 So.2d 566 (La.1987), stated as follows:
This court has described two factors to consider when determining whether the immunity provided by R.S. 9:2791 and 9:2795 is applicable to a given set of facts. First, the property where the injury occurred must be an undeveloped, nonresidential rural or semi-rural land area. Second, the injury itself must be the result of recreation that can be pursued in the "true outdoors."
Id. at 567, citing Keelen v. State of Louisiana, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, 463 So.2d 1287, 1289 (La.1985). This test has also been applied by this court in Lewis v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., 94-2639 (La.App. 4th Cir. 4/26/95), 654 So.2d 883. The first part of the test addresses itself to the ^locality of the accident, while the second part addresses itself to the activity. Broussard v. Department of Transportation & Development, 539 So.2d 824 (La.App. 3d Cir.1989).
1. Locality of the accident
Unquestionably, the area where the injury occurred in the instant case is "an undeveloped, nonresidential rural or semi-rural land area." The record evidence indicates that the accident occurred in a "bay" or marshy area. Other than the concrete marker and the posts with the POSTED signs, the area was apparently in a completely natural state. Thus, we find that the first factor for application of the recreational use immunity is satisfied.
2. Activity of the victim
Concerning the second factor, the jury found that the Verdins were engaged in a recreational activity at the time of the accident. Although the Verdins contest that conclusion, the record evidence is sufficient to support the jury's finding. Although both of the Verdins held valid commercial fishing licenses on the date of the accident, they stated that they were fishing with poles. Ms. Verdin said that they had not caught any fish that day. Both of the Verdins said that if they had caught some fish, they would have eaten some, then sold any that were left over. Ms. Verdin admitted that they had made only a little money fishing with poles and that most of their commercial fishing was for shrimp and crab. In the light of that evidence, the jury was not manifestly erroneous in determining that the Verdins were engaged in recreational fishing on the day of the accident. Accordingly, the Verdins' injuries were the result of an recreational activity which can be pursued in the "true outdoors." The second factor of the test recited by the Louisiana 17Supreme Court in Ratcliff and Keelen, and adopted by this court in Lewis, is therefore satisfied.
3. Character of injury-causing instrumentality
In addition to the above two factors which are used consistently by courts for determining whether the recreational use immunity statutes should apply to a given situation, many of the more recent cases applying those statutes cite a third factor to be considered in determining whether the recreational immunity statutes should apply — i.e., "the in jury-causing instrumentality must be of the type normally encountered in the "true outdoors" and not of the type usually found in someone's backyard." Ward v. Hermitage Insurance Co., 28,236 (La.App.2d Cir. 4/3/96) 671 So.2d 1229, 1232-33, writ denied, 96-1141 (La.9/3/96), 678 So.2d 554. Because this factor is considered in many of the cases interpreting the Louisiana recreational use immunity statutes, we will consider this third factor.
The caselaw interpreting the recreational use immunity statutes is clear that the fact that the injury-causing instrumentality is man-made does not in and of itself defeat the immunity. See Singletary v. Crown Zellerbach, 554 So.2d 846 (La.App. 1st Cir.1989)(injury occurred when three-wheeler struck gate on property); Lewis, 654 So.2d 883 (injury occurred on a fishing pier); Broussard, 539 So.2d 824 (injury occurred on concrete boat launch ramp adjacent to canal); Adams v. State, 525 So.2d 55 (La.App. 3d Cir.1988) (injury occurred in dive from homemade diving platform attached to tree); Ratcliff, 502 So.2d 566 (injury occurred on boat dock); LaCroix v. State, 477 So.2d 1246 (La.App. 3d Cir.), writ denied, 478 So.2d 1237 (La.1985) (injury occurred in dive from concrete culvert into creek).
In the instant case, the Verdins claim that their boat hit a concrete survey boundary marker, which they characterize as "a man-made concrete marker placed in the open bay by the defendant." The record in the instant case reveals that such concrete markers are required by Louisiana administrative law for property surveys. See 46 La. Admin. Code § 2507, which requires the establishment of monumented corners on surveyed property. Land surveyor Charles Camp testified at trial that Louisiana State law requires all landowners to mark the boundaries of their land with concrete markers. Many landowners other than LL & E mark their boundaries in the area in question with concrete markers, he said. In fact, according to Mr. Camp, the "whole area is marked with concrete markers." LL & E manager Gerald Voisin estimated that some eight to 15 thousand concrete markers are located in the area.
The Verdins claim, however, that the corner marker does not meet the third criterion for application of the recreational use immunity statutes because it is "not incidental to the recreational use of the property." However, the cases interpreting the recreational use immunity statutes do not require that the injury-causing instrumentality be incidental to the recreational use of the property. The Verdins also state that "while the marker may be found even in undeveloped land, the marker . is in fact found in developed tracts of land." The fact that the marker may be found both in undeveloped and developed tracts of land begs the question. The cases require only that the injury-causing instrumentality be of the type more likely to be found in the "true outdoors" than in someone's backyard. Certainly, property owners do not typically mark the boundaries of their residential property with concrete corner markers. Commonly, the boundaries of someone's backyard hare marked with a fence or perhaps by the fact that the property owner maintains the property only to a certain point. While the record contains evidence that concrete boundary markers are commonly found in the "true outdoors" and that they are found extensively in the area where the Verdins' alleged accident occurred, it contains no evidence indicating that the same type of markers are ever found in someone's backyard. Thus, we find the third factor for application of the recreational use immunity statutes is satisfied.
The facts of the instant case are distinguishable from the facts in Eschete v. Mecom, 509 So.2d 840 (La.App. 1st Cir.), writ denied, 513 So.2d 821 (La.1987), in which a boater was injured when his boat collided with well cribbings submerged underwater in a dead-end canal connected at one end of the intercoastal waterway. The court found in Eschete that well cribbings were not instru-mentalities normally encountered in the true outdoors. However, that conclusion was based in part on the fact that the injury-causing instrumentality resulted from a commercial enterprise, and the fact that the oil-well cribbings were not instrumentalities that one would normally encounter in the true outdoors. The concrete marker in the instant case did not result from a commercial enterprise, but from compliance with Louisiana state law. Moreover, on the basis of the record evidence, we find that concrete survey markers do qualify as instrumentalities that one would normally encounter in the "true outdoors."
4. Other factors
Despite the fact that the cases generally consider ohly the two or three factors enumerated above for determining the application of the recreational use immunity statutes, the Verdins argue strenuously that the immunity should not apply in the instant case, despite the presence of the factors normally considered, | ipbecause of the absence of two other factors: (1) dedication of the property for recreational use and (2) permission from the owner to the victim to use the property. Thus, the Verdins would have this court impose two additional factors on the application of the statutes which have never been cited as determinative by any Louisiana court. Moreover, application of those requirements as urged by the Verdins has been rejected by other Louisiana courts, either implicitly or explicitly, as discussed below.
B. Dedication requirement
Concerning the dedication requirement, several of the cases refer in dicta to application of the recreational use immunity doctrine to land "properly dedicated to one or more of the specified recreational purposes." Monteville, 567 So.2d at 1101; Dear v. Crosby Chemicals, 95-1309 (La.App. 3d Cir. 3/6/96), 670 So.2d 775, 776, writ denied, 96-1267 (La.6/21/96), 675 So.2d 1091; Ward, 671 So.2d at 1232. However, in Dear the court found specifically that the land in question met the requirements for applicability of the statutes, including the requirement that it be "dedicated to one of the recreational purposes specified by the Recreational Use Statutes" because it was dedicated to "hunting and fishing." The opinion does not explain how the property was so dedicated. However, a reading of the case reveals that the plaintiffs injuries were sustained in a hunting accident which occurred at a private hunting club not open to the public. The only evidence of "dedication" was the fact that the property was subject to a hunting lease.
In the instant case, the parties stipulated that "from the 1970's to the 1990's, LL & E had leases on its marshlands in portions of Section 21 for recreational waterfowl, hunting and trapping." Louisiana is widely considered a sportsman's | nstate, containing numerous areas for hunting, fishing, trapping, and other activities. The area in question is exactly the type of area used by the public for trapping and fishing. Although a specific trapping lease was granted for the exact area where the accident in question took place, the record indicates that the local residents enjoyed all types of recreational activities on LL & E's property. The record evidence is overwhelming that the LL & E property was a popular area for recreational purposes; the Verdins cannot dispute this reality. Even assuming that dedication of property is required in order to make the recreational use immunity statutes applicable, we find that the property in question in the instant case was properly dedicated both because it was subject to recreational leases and because it was widely enjoyed by area residents for recreational purposes.
|i2C. Permission requirement
Concerning the permission requirement, the Verdins would have this court hold that a landowner has a greater duty to a party who goes onto his land for recreational purposes without his permission than to a person who goes onto his land for recreational purposes with his permission. The Ver-dins claim that since the purpose of the statutes was originally to encourage landowners to open their property for recreational purposes, the landowner then "chooses his own level of immunity" depending on the number of people he gives permission to use the property. Once again, this premise is defeated by the relevant caselaw.
First, the language of the statute itself defeats the Verdins' arguments on this issue. After stating specifically that a landowner "owes no duty of care to keep such premises safe for entry or use by others" for any of the enumerated recreational purposes, LSA-R.S. 9:2791(A) specifically addresses the fact that the immunity applies even if the owner gives the injured party permission to use the property. That fact alone indicates that the immunity is intended to apply even when the injured party was using the property without the owner's permission.
Moreover, the language of LSA-R.S. 9:2791(C) supports the conclusion that the immunity applies even if the injured party did not have the owner's permission to use the property, as it provides as follows:
The limitation of liability extended by this Section to the owner, lessee, or occupant of premises shall not be | i3affected by the granting of a lease, right of use, or right of occupancy for any recreational purpose which may limit the use of the premises so as to limit the use of the premises to persons other than the entire public or by the posting the premises so as to limit the use of the premises to persons other than the entire public.
Thus, a landowner is immune from liability to persons using his property for recreational purposes even if the use of the property is limited to persons other than the entire public by way of a lease, a right of use, or a right of occupancy, or by the posting of the property. In the instant case, the property was subject to a recreational trapping lease and it was posted. However, those facts do not defeat application of the recreational use immunity statutes because of the express language of LSA-R.S. 9:1751(C), as quoted above.
A close study of the caselaw interpreting the recreational use statutes also reveals the flaw in the Verdins' argument on this issue. For example, in Holder v. Louisi ana Parks Service, 552 So.2d 20 (La.App. 3d Cir.1989), writ denied, 556 So.2d 59 (La.1990), the court stated as follows:
A plain reading of La. R.S. 9:2791, coupled with the fact that the legislature enacted with La. R.S. 9:2795 a second more expansive immunity statute, can only evidence an intent on the part of the legislature that these statutes are to grant a broad immunity from liability. Additionally, the legislative history of these statutes dictates that they should be applied to confer immunity upon owners of all property used for recreational purposes from those who are injured while using such property,
Id. at 26 (emphasis added).
Moreover, at least two cases applying the recreational use immunity statutes involved injured parties who did not have permission to enter the premises. In LaCroix, 477 So.2d 1246, the injured party was a 14-year-old who was injured when she dove into a creek from a tunnel bridge constructed by the defendant. In finding that the recreational use immunity statutes applied to relieve the defendant from liability, the court stated as follows:
The rationale employed by our Supreme Court in Keelen, supra, leads us to conclude that the injury in question took place at a location which is covered by the immunity statutes. Clearly, this accident took place in a rural setting. Because of this site's popularity, we believe it warrants being termed a recreational area. Members of the general public swam in this creek without charge. Admittedly, the State did not invite individuals to swim at this site and considered individuals who did as trespassers. However, in our view, this fact does not preclude the State from enjoying the benefit of the immunity provided by La. R.S. 9:2791 and 2795. Irrespective of whether or not the general public was invited to swim at this location, the fact remains that they were able to enjoy the use of this property as a recreational area.
Id. at 1250 (emphasis added).
In the instant case, the record is replete with evidence that the area where the accident occurred in the instant case was widely used by the general public for recreational purposes, despite the fact that LL & E posted the area and considered the persons using the property as trespassers. Although LL & E did not invite the public to use the property for recreational fishing purposes, even the witnesses testifying on behalf of the Verdins at trial admitted that they frequently use the area. One witness had used the area the very day he testified. Thus, we find that the general public was able to use this land for recreational purposes and that LL & E is therefore entitled to the benefits of the recreational use immunity statutes.
| isAnother case involving application of the recreational use immunity statutes to an injury party who was present on the defendant's property without permission is Leivis, 654 So.2d 883. In that case, this court found the immunity applicable to protect a property owner from liability for injuries suffered when the plaintiff fell through a fishing pier at a fishing camp while looking for something to help him repair his boat. Although the case does not discuss the issue, the boater obviously did not have permission to enter the fishing camp. Thus, the Verdins' argument that the recreational use immunity statutes should not apply because they had no permission to use the land is meritless.
Accordingly, we find that all the necessary requirements for application of the recre ational use immunity statutes are present in the instant case. LL & E is entitled to the benefits of the recreational use immunity statutes under the facts of this case. The trial court properly dismissed the Verdins' case against LL & E.
CONSTITUTIONALITY
The Verdins also claim that the trial court's application of the recreational use immunity statutes is unconstitutional. However, the Verdins failed to raise this issue in the trial court as required by the relevant jurisprudence. See Bellard v. Louisiana Correctional & Industrial School, 95-0157 (La.10/16/95), 661 So.2d 430, 432; Marler v. Petty, 94-1851 (La.4/10/95), 653 So.2d 1167. The Verdins seek to avoid the requirement that their constitutionality argument be raised in the trial court by claiming that they are not challenging the constitutionality of the statute itself, but the constitutionality of the trial court's application of the statute. They claim that they would have raised the constitutionality issue if they had known that the trial judge would apply the statute without requiring evidence of dedication and permission. However, LL & E raised the recreation use immunity [tissue in its first supplemental answer to the Verdins' petition. Since very early in the case, the recreational use immunity has been an issue in the case. As demonstrated by the above discussion of the issues, the trial court's application of the statute does not represent a great departure from previous applications of the statute. Moreover, the constitutionality of the recreational use immunity statutes has been upheld in the face of arguments similar to those urged by the Verdins in the instant case. See Stuart v. City of Morgan City, 504 So.2d 934 (La.App. 1st Cir.1987).
Additionally, the Verdins' arguments that they did not receive any quid pro quo in exchange for the loss of their right to sue for damages incurred on the property because the land was not "dedicated" to recreational purposes and because they were not given permission to enter the land is contradicted by the evidence adduced in the trial of this matter. The fact is that the Verdins, many of them friends and neighbors, as well as many other people in the area, have benefit-ted from the use of the undeveloped property owned by LL & E in southern Louisiana. Thus, the statutes were adopted in the interest of the community as a whole. The recreational use immunity statutes are not unconstitutional, even as they were applied by the trial court in the instant case, especially since that application is entirely consistent with previous applications of the statutes.
OBSTRUCTION OF NAVIGABLE WATERWAYS
Finally, the Verdins cite 33 U.S.C. § 403 as a basis for LL & E's alleged liability for their alleged injuries received in the accident on LL & E's property. 33 U.S.C. § 403 prohibits the unauthorized obstruction of navigable waterways. The Verdins claim that concrete marker in the instant case qualifies as an | ^"obstruction" under the federal provision. Louisiana's recreational use immunity statutes cannot affect the applicability of the federal prohibition, the Verdins say.
We find several problems with this argument. First, the Verdins did not raise this argument in the trial court. Second, even assuming that LL & E violated the federal prohibition, the record contains no evidence concerning the penalty imposed for such a violation. Third, and most importantly, the record evidence indicates that the "bay" or marshland involved in this case is not navigable under the federal law.
At trial, LL & E presented the testimony of Mr. Voisin, who stated specifically that the area where the alleged accident occurred is non-navigable. The evidence indicates that the depth of the marsh area ranges from six to 24 inches depending on the time of the year and other factors. Moreover, the marsh area ends in a dead-end and is not part of an avenue of commerce. For purposes of the federal statutes, Mr. Voisin indicated, the term "navigable waterway" is a term of art which is not met by the characteristics of the area where the accident occurred. Thus, we find no merit in the Ver-dins' arguments on this issue.
LL & E'S ANSWER TO APPEAL
Because we have determined that the trial court properly dismissed the Verdins suit against LL & E on the basis of Louisiana's recreational use immunity statutes, we pre-termit any discussion of the issues raised by LL & E in its answer to the Verdins' appeal.
CONCLUSION
Accordingly, the trial court judgment in favor of defendant LL & E, dismissing the Verdins' suit, is affirmed in all respects. LL & E is immune from 1 pliability for the Ver-dins' injuries sustained while they were pursuing a recreational fishing activity under Louisiana's recreational use immunity statutes.
AFFIRMED.
. LL & E claims in brief that the Verdins should be precluded from raising many of these issues on appeal because they failed to raise them at the trial court level. However, because we find no merit in any of the Verdins' arguments, it is unnecessary for us to determine whether the Verdins should be precluded from raising the issues.
. This factor is contemplated by the Keelen case, although it has not previously been stated as a factor for consideration by the Louisiana Supreme Court. See 463 So.2d at 1290. See also Singletary v. Crown Zellerbach, 554 So.2d 846, 848-49 (La.App. 1st Cir.1989).
. Citing the trial testimony of LL & E's employee, Gerald Voisin, that the property was subject to a commercial trapping lease, the Verdins claim in brief that LSA-R.S. 9:2791 does not apply because trapping is not listed as a recreational activity under LSA-R.S. 9:2791. The Verdins apparently ignore their own stipulation that the property is subject to "recreational waterfowl, hunting and trapping" leases. That stipulation relieved LL & E of any burden to prove that the property was subject to recreational leases. Moreover, Mr. Voisin testified specifically that LL & E granted some 6,000 leases on some 640,000 acres of undeveloped property it owns in southern Louisiana, including duck leases and campsite leases. Although Mr. Voisin did say that the exact location where the alleged accident occurred was subject only to a trapping lease in December 1991, that does not change the fact that LL & E had "dedicated" its property to recreational purposes, as that factor has been interpreted in the relevant caselaw.
. In brief, the Verdins also cite this court's decision in Smith v. Southern Pacific Transportation Co., 467 So.2d 70 (La.App. 4th Cir.1985) in support of their argument that the recreational use immunity statutes should not apply under the facts of this case. In Smith, the plaintiff was injured on an open street running through the grounds of City Park in New Orleans. This court found that the recreational use immunity statutes did not apply to that particular factual situation because the injury occurred on a part of the property used for commercial, not recreational, purposes. However, the case does not stand for the proposition urged by the Verdins that the recreational use immunity statutes do not apply if any commercial use is made of the property. Moreover, the record in this case does not prove that the trapping lease on the area of the property where the alleged accident occurred was granted for commercial, as opposed to recreational, purposes. We decline to accept the Ver-dins' argument that all trapping is done for commercial purposes in the absence of any record evidence to that effect.
. We disagree with the Verdins' argument that strict construction of the statute requires that we consider the two sentences in LSA-R.S. 9:2791 A to refer to the same people, people with permission to enter the land for recreational purposes. The Verdins would ignore the fact that the first sentence of the provision expressly refers to "others" without qualification, logically meaning all others. We interpret the second sentence, not to limit the persons against whom the immunity applies, but to clarify the fact that the immunity applies even when the injured party had the landowner's permission to enter the property— probably an allusion to the different levels of duty owed to invitees as opposed to trespassers under the old law. In our view, the only reason the legislature failed to specifically address a landowners duty to people without permission to enter the property is that the statute is obviously designed to apply in that case.
. Despite the language in Keelen, 463 So.2d 1287, and Monteville, 567 So.2d 1097, cited by the Verdins, that the recreational use immunity statutes are in derogation of a common right and therefore must be strictly construed, we agree with the Third Circuit Court of Appeal's statements in Holder, 552 So.2d 20, that the legislature intended the immunity statutes to have broad application. The Keelen case itself acknowledges the fact that the task of appellate courts applying the statutes "is to determine the intent of the legislature and the scope of immunity granted by the statutes." 463 So.2d at 1289. The best evidence of the legislature's intent that the immunity statutes be applied broadly is the language of the 1989 amendments, making the immunity applicable even when the land is subject to a lease or has been posted to restrict use of the land to less than the entire public. Even under the required strict construction, we find that the recreational use immunity statutes apply to LL & E under the facts of this case.