All Articles
Legislative and Regulatory Update
April 2020 by Scott Harn
• Washington State copies California’s wayward regulations
On March 9, the Washington State legislature sent a bill to Gov. Inslee’s desk that will prohibit all forms of motorized mining in streams where Endangered Species Act listed fish are present. The governor is expected to sign the measure.
House Bill 1261 passed 60-35, while companion bill SB 5322 passed in the Senate 37-10, with votes passed along party lines; Democrats were in favor, while Republicans were against it.
The bill would make all motorized prospecting and mining illegal in ESA-designated waterways. Uneducated legislators swayed by extreme environmental groups continue to ignore the benefits provided by suction gold dredgers.
The evidence is clear that dredge miners remove heavy metals like mercury and lead and create desired thermal refugia as they clean our waterways. Dredging “seasons” were already in place so that dredging operations did not interfere with spawning seasons.
Bills like these passed in Washington State are the reason why we continue to focus our efforts on changes at the federal level. Utilizing federal preemption on federal mining claims, we believe these types of frivolous regulations can be overcome, and we continue to advocate for changes at the federal level during our trips to Washington, DC with Public Lands for the People. (You can read more about our efforts in the “PLP Update” column.)
Picks & Pans: Diamond Hunting in Wyoming
Rod Griffin and I have spent most of our free time looking for the hard-to-find diamonds, and have found ourselves involved with wildlife, obstacles, bad roads, streams, bogs, bulls—you name it.
Critical Minerals: Titanium
The metal is expensive, not because it is rare but because of the expense to produce and work it. The minerals mined for titanium are all oxides, unlike many base metals that are mostly mined as sulfide minerals.
Finding Gold With Copper and Turquoise
The signs of copper, which the prospector most commonly sees in the field in outcrops and on the surface, are secondary minerals caused by the action of air and water on the original copper-bearing sulfides that were deposited deep...
The Makorakoza of Zimbabwe—Centuries of Prospecting in Gold-Hosting Dolerites
Until a countrywide banning order in 2007, the undercover panners were living testimony to the presence of gold in a region not previously known for its occurrence.
Progressive Privy Program Proved Popular
by Mella Rothwell Harmon
Nevada Department of Museums, Library and Arts
"This was Nevada"
Bering Sea Gold—Part II
In last month’s issue we covered the initial discovery of gold, the subsequent gold rush that occurred around Nome, some of the geology of the area and past production. We’ll conclude the article in this issue with a further examination of the geology and deposit types, discuss the resources...
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The Bawl Mill
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• Ask The Experts - Investing: How do you know which companies have potential?
• Miners Fight Back When BLM Says 'Your Claim Is Too Long'
• It's Another 'Ben Day'
• How to Research Prospecting Locations and Mining Claims
• Some Tips and Tricks for Dredgers: Determining Pulley Size and Belt Length
• Where Will The Gold Price Go From Here?
• Holcomb Valley Gold, Southern California
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: The Good Luck and Bad Luck of Prospecting With Animals
• Lode Miner Continues to Find Pocket Gold
• Judge Backs Minnesota's Twin Metals Mine in Lease Dispute
• Over the Divide: Rick Lague
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
