All Articles
Legislative and Regulatory Update
July 2008 by Scott Harn
Lois Wolk, the California State Representative who previously introduced a bill to eliminate suction gold dredging in the state but was halted by Governor Schwarzenegger’s veto, is up to her old tricks.
Jerry Hobbs, president of Public Lands for the People (PLP), reported that Wolk attached a rider to the state budget bill. The rider would call for the state to conduct a two-year study of suction dredging and prohibit suction dredging during the study period.
Hobbs reported that his organization is looking at a couple of options to try and remove the rider. The New 49’ers prospecting club is also working on this issue.
The budget bill has already passed out of the Senate Budget Committee, but it will likely go through many rewrites because the state is looking at severe budget cuts.
• Travel Management Plans
Hobbs and PLP attorney David Young also attended several meetings regarding the Forest Service’s Travel Management Plan in the Eldorado National Forest.
As reported in last month’s issue, PLP filed an appeal along with a notice of intent to sue the Forest Service because of the Eldorado National Forest’s refusal to honor the 1872 Mining Law and access for mining when it decided to close off numerous historic routes across public lands.
Hobbs stated that the meetings went as expected—Forest Service officials were ignorant of the laws and rights pertaining to mining. He stated that at least one claimant has already been denied access to his mining claims. A lawsuit is forthcoming to force the Forest Service to recognize the rights of miners. Unfortunately these issues may need to be addressed with each National Forest as they release their individual Travel Management Plans.
Melman on Gold & Silver
Vanishing with equal rapidity is any belief that this onrushing economic downturn is a minor speed bump on the road to financial utopia.
Melman on Gold & Silver
There is little question that the crisis in Europe completely dominated world financial headlines last month. We saw nations such as Finland, Austria, France, Belgium and Hungary, which had previously appeared untouched by developments, suddenly become vulnerable to higher domestic interest rates.
Please Note:
Due to technical difficulties, the photos in the September 2004 issue of ICMJ are currently unavailable for the online version of the magazine. Please know we are working on this and will get the photos loaded as soon as we can. In the meantime, please enjoy the articles as usual! Thank you for your understanding! —ICMJ
Persistence Leads to Over a Pound of Gold
I have figured out over the years that the winning combination is hard work, persistence, knowledge, and a little luck. This leads me to describe one of my best finds ever, a “honey hole” of placer gold, if you will.
Eight Mines Earn Prestigious Safety Awards
Eight US coal, metal and nonmetal mines that achieved a perfect safety record in 2002—a combined 1.9 million employee hours without any time lost to serious injury or a fatality—were honored with prestigious “Sentinels of Safety Awards” presented by Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health David Lauriski
Ask the Experts
• Sweep speed and sensitivity settings for a GPX-4500
Cedar Rim Opal—Discovery of a Giant Opal Field
In 2003, I initiated field reconnaissance of an opal deposit at Cedar Rim in central Wyoming and was amazed at the size of this undocumented deposit located right in the middle of an oil and gas field...
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• The Lost Silver Triangle of the Sierra Madre—Conclusion: Tayopa, Guaynopa, and Guaynopita
• The Greenwood Gold Project
• Miners Go To Work In Washington
• How To Locate Diamonds
• Natural Crystalline Gold
• The Vore Mine
• Tools of the Modern Prospector: The GPS
• Whitehall Mine Foregoing Closure
• Work Begins At Rock Creek Mine
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
• The National Mining Hall of Fame to Induct Four
• Looking Back
Free:
