gold mining

The culture change at USFS

Shortly after the Presidential election in November of last year, we posited that it would take about 6 months after Mr. Trump took office to start to change the culture in some of these regulatory and management agencies. Looks like it has begun to change: http://freerangereport.com/index.php/2017/06/11/nm-state-engineer-defends-ranchers-water-rights-from-illegal-forest-service-actions/

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AMRA’s newest video: 3 days with AMRA

At our annual dinner/fundraiser this past December, Carol and John Grimes won a 3 day mining adventure with AMRA President Shannon Poe, this is part 1 of that 3 day trip. The videos were shot on AMRA claims in the South Motherlode. Amazing gold, amazing people. John reminded us of our dear Mr. Ratley, monkey […]

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I’ve been top-filed………now what?

AMRA President Shannon Poe has one of his mining claims illegally top-filed.   A claim AMRA President Shannon Poe (and three others) picked up in 2009 was top-filed by another miner in 2010. This has resulted in a myriad of angry phone calls and is a prime example of how to handle a situation like […]

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What is the travel management rule?

The Travel Management Plan/Rule was designed to keep roads open for the public…who owns the lands.  What it has morphed into is a restrictive tool to keep us out.   Plumas News has a good article on how this was created and where it is today: USFS Travel Management Rule continues to be controversial Or […]

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Antiquities act abuses

That means virtually every revenue-producing, recreational and other activity is regulated, restricted, prohibited or under attack in courts and other venues. No timber cutting in national forests, fostering massive wildfires. No vehicles, wheelchairs, energy or mineral exploration in wilderness and many other areas. Even grazing and watershed management are under assault throughout the West. For […]

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Trump Administration to review Obama national monuments

It looks as though the Trump Administration is focusing on reversing some of the Obama era National Monuments:   http://freerangereport.com/index.php/2017/04/26/making-local-voices-heard-will-be-central-to-trump-monuments-review/ For the full article, click

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Update on the dredge ban in Oregon

Oregon: Note the language written by the Statesman Journal in this article about the recently passed bill banning dredging. They use the term “hobbyist”. Suction dredging is not a hobby. We do not practice catch and release gold mining and toss the gold back into the stream. We dredge with the intent to make money, […]

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Sue and Settle by enviro groups explained

“…over a decade, eight environmental groups filed more than 3,300 cases in federal district courts across the country. In the last two years of the Bush Administration, seven groups filed 253 lawsuits; in the first two years of the Obama Administration, those groups filed 525 lawsuits…It is not only the sum; also outrageous is the […]

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Forest service blows up small dams with high explosives to restore creeks to natural state

As most of you know, we have had our fair share of issue’s with the US Forest Service. Issue’s like restricting the number of miners who can dredge their claims in Idaho, a Taser being pulled on people panning in creeks, random and illegal stops of grandfathers and grandsons driving on public roads among others. […]

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Our recent letter to President Trump

To the President of the United States of America The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500   Dear President Donald J. Trump,                                                          April 5, 2017 I am one of many, many independent full time small scale gold miners in America struggling to survive due to massive regulation and bills passed during […]

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