PLP and Mining Districts
PLP Update
January 2023
Hello Friends, The Public Lands for the People (PLP) new 2023 guide cards are hot off the press! These new cards are an upgrade to the last updated versions of the (green) Forest Service Access cards and the (gold) CA Suction Dredge Guide for Reclamation Purposes cards. A new refinement has been made on the dredge card regarding the type of land open to its application.
The Forest Service Access cards have been expanded from solving road access issues to solving camping limitation issues and closures due to issues such as forest fires. As many of you know, despite how horribly devastating a forest fire can be, it at the same time can open up great prospecting opportunities for metal detectorists and hard rock prospectors.
We do not wish to encourage people to interfere with emergency vehicles and active firefighting. But as commonly occurs, the forest closure order, when excessively long (after the first good rain and all hot spots are out), often interferes with your property rights as a claim holder or your rights to prospect land open to mineral entry under the Mining Law.
Both the gold and green 2023 PLP cards are an improvement upon the older versions, placing the cardholder in an excellent legal position to challenge the agencies in a professional manner.
We wish to take a moment to thank our membership for the responsible use of the (gold) CA Suction Dredge Guide for Reclamation Purposes for the 2nd successful season; and the active teaching of others inside and outside the government to the reclamation benefits of the suction dredge. As we anticipated in May of 2021, we said this about the contents of our guide card: “…this is information the CA Water Board and the CA Fish & Wildlife may not want you to know”.
We hear there still exists a political bias against dredge miners repurposing their gold dredges for reclamation purposes. If the Water Board believes that there cannot be a single legal suction dredge miner operating in CA, then why aren’t the hundreds of PLP members using their cards being cited into court? It is not surprising that agency statements often do not correspond to reality. And just because an agency does not issue a written permit does not make that action illegal - as exemptions to permits are commonplace in federal and state laws.
On another note, one of the recommendations we have continually made on the gold card was: “Never associate with self-admitted dischargers or individuals advocating the Army Corp. section 404 permit system that is inapplicable to this guide”. The reason was to protect the user and also to remind folks that it was a misuse of the card. It is double-speak when one admits to being a “discharger” and then claims they did not add a pollutant to the waterway. The Army Corps and the EPA define the word “discharge” as the addition of material to the waterway. Don’t make that mistake as some have, as it could get you sued by environmentalists or government agencies enforcing the clean water laws!
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Supporting PLP’s Grand Raffle also helps us continue to fight for your rights.
A book of 12 tickets is still only $10. We have a lot of great high-value prizes, and a list of those prizes is in the latest ICMJ Prospecting & Mining Journal. You can’t win if you don’t enter!
Tickets are available NOW to purchase by phone for the July 15th, 2023, Grand Raffle Drawing. You can call our toll-free number (844)-PLP-1990 which is (844) 757-1990 by the July 11th deadline or Mail a Check by the July 1st deadline (to the address below) and specify the number of ticket books you wish to have mailed to you.
If you like this information, USE IT WISELY.
Your PLP Board of Directors
The original. No compromise. Standing 33 years strong for Multiple Use on Public Land “RIGHTS”!
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PLP has developed a plan to get dredgers back in the water by embracing the fact that suction gold dredgers can provide a valuable service by reclaiming waterways.
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