September 2001 (Vol. 71, No. 1) $3.25
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The Bawl Mill
• Office supplies—$83.00. Gas for your government car—$29.00. Using your government credit card to pay for your vacation—Priceless.
• Australian government creates a haven for criminals -
A True Endangered Species
Immediate action is needed. I would like to recommend that Homo sapiens be listed as a “threatened species” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). -
Guest Editorial—Vertical Disintegration
Since the New Deal of the 1930s, government has grown increasingly proficient at squeezing—not extra profits—but individual freedoms from the very people they are empowered to protect. By first taking our money in the form of taxes, the government then offers to return some of it, but only if it is used for the purposes dictated by the government. -
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• 3809 Regulations—Letter Drive
• Environmental groups infiltrate National Park Service
• Interior Secretary Gale Norton chasties environmentalists over Klamath lawsuit
• EPA requests comments on Maximum Contaminant Level rule -
USGS Reports Increase of Imported Minerals
Since 1993, US reliance on imports of raw and processed materials of mineral origin has increased more than seven fold. -
The San Juan Mountains, Colorado
The rugged San Juan Mountains of Colorado rise to 14,309 feet and were a barrier to overland travel for many years. Precipitation, in the form of summer thundershowers and heavy winter snow, is enough to support coniferous forests. -
A Silver Opportunity
For any foot-loose prospector betting the price of silver goes up, there’s a promising piece of public land open for location in Nevada’s challenging Esmeralda County. -
Gold in Virginia
The Piedmont region of Virginia contains many old gold mines and prospects, many of which are caved, overgrown, and difficult to find. Some mines have remained sporadically active up to the present time. -
Picks & Pans: DEF Prospectors Rally Was a Huge Success
For many years we have been losing our rights. The main reason this has been happening is because as prospectors and miners, we tend to be loners. This trait has helped the environmental movement because... -
News From GATA
The Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee (GATA) recently reported some new information in their quest to expose manipulation of the gold markets by the government and central banks. -
Our Nugget Shooting Adventure
Gold—a very elusive, heavy, yellow, metallic element—is coveted by man and not easily given up by Mother Nature. This is a story of a group of friends—old, new, and some I hadn’t met before this trip. We embarked on a journey in search of that yellow metal. -
How PGMs Affect Assay Beads
Most fire assayers are trained to observe the cupelled beads very carefully, noting any discoloring or surface roughness that might indicate that one or more of the platinum group metals (PGMs) are present. The “clues and tests” I have included in this article stem from several sources, including my 35 years of experience performing torch assays... -
Fly Fishing the Mine Tailings/Headwaters of the Clark Fork, Montana
Outside of Butte, Montana, going north on I90, you’ll pass through a landscape where the old Anaconda mining company processed thousands of tons of ore twenty years ago. We meant to fish in the vicinity of this historic mining district though we knew it is a Federally classified Superfund site for reclamation now. -
Company Notes
• Royal Gold, Inc.
• Placer Dome, Inc. -
Melman on Gold & Silver
One of my favorite sayings has always been, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Perhaps that old adage could be applied to Alan Greenspan and the actions of the Federal Reserve of late. They are telling us that the economy is not in bad shape; that we are not in or headed to recession and that new strength is just around the bend. They are acting as if there is a looming catastrophe.